Twenty One or Bust
by kcid nosyarg
Summary: It's a year after Trouble In Tokyo and the Titan's are off again! Bruce Wayne has asked that they investigate a friend thought to be dead who has now suddenly reappeared on the streets of Gotham. The Titans meet new friends and enemies and rediscover a few as well. Robin(Nightwing)xStarfire, slight BBxRae, plus a surprise pairing. Rated M for adult situations later in the story.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

Hey guys, just wanted to use this to briefly explain the setting a little. This takes place after Tokyo, assuming that Tokyo is the last canonical story in the Teen Titan's TV universe. I tried to mix elements of the DC Universe in while trying to stay true to what the show was, not what the comics were, as a result, many of my references are not in proper sequence, but they don't affect the main plot either. My inspiration for this story came from several other works, which are in my favorites section. I always liked the idea of seeing a more grown up Titans using the cartoon network story and backdrop, kind of a "Where Are They Now?" type story. I did this by advancing the timeline just enough to keep it young and fun, but somewhat more adult at the same time.

Also, to kind of explain the plot a little, without giving away a lot. This is NOT a strictly RobStar fic (or even a strictly romance fic for that matter), it has minor RaeBB (still figuring out how far I'm going into that), and one surprise coupling. The majority of the stories romance will deal with RobStar and the mystery couple. I hope you don't hate it 0.o

As a final note, I suck at figuring out titles, hence my boring chapter names. Unfortunately, I was forced to think of something for the story itself. It has two meanings. The more obvious one would be the fact that the Titans have aged slightly, and the other will remain a secret, but there are some decent hints as the story moves along. First person to guess correctly gets a cookie... Or something.

**Hope you all like it, please rate and review. This is my first fic of any kind ever, so any criticism, advice, praise or even flames are appreciated.**

I will be uploading the first three chapters at the same time because to be totally honest, I'm not particularly fond of them. I had to spend time to setup the story before getting to the plot line towards the beginning. Hopefully you like them and it's enough story for a few days. After this, I will probably upload a new chapter every few days (depends on how fast I can write ahead, I'm already on 11 so, I want to stay well ahead of what's being published.) I might break the rules if I get lots of feedback haha.

* * *

Chapter 1

"_Robin," Starfire cooed, questioningly, "it is true?"  
_

"_Is, uh, what true Star?" Robin stammered in uncomfortable reply. _

_He could feel the heat of the blood rushing to his face, the beginnings of an intense blush. It was not enough that she had invited him into her room after what most would consider an appropriate hour; she had to continue her delightful torment of Robin until she had satisfied the yearning that she had allowed to manifest within her. Robin glanced nervously upward to the pink ceiling of her predominantly pink and purple room; hoping that he would be able to follow through with his own feelings. He was growing more and more uncomfortable, it was an uncomfortable that he felt much too often. He knew what it was; it was Starfire. Since their Tokyo trip two months ago, tensions continued to build and build. They had been apart of a relationship of sorts ever since, but nothing had ever actually been made official or put into words. Tonight, he was sure, was his breaking point._

"_You mean that you do not know?" Starfire continued, making no effort to mask her disappointment. "Perhaps then…" She trailed off, leaving the sentence open ended as she released his hand. _

_Starfire had allowed herself to appear upset and she carefully considered that she might have been, but in the end decided that she knew Robin too well to read too much into his indecision. In his defense, she knew that she was being hard on him. Oh how she loved to test him. She had learned this earthen love making technique from Raven when they performed the 'girl talk.' She was purposely trying to avoid explicitly telling him the nature of her question; he would have to come up with it on his own with some hints from her, at least up until a point. She supposed she would have to bail him out at some point, knowing Robin to be much too shy to be so forward with her, especially in this setting. She did not like to let him easily 'off the hook' as Raven had described it. She just hoped that the 'hook' did not hurt him too much._

"_Don't be upset Star, I just don't quite understand what you're asking me," Robin quickly sputtered, fearing that things were going south. He pulled her into a light embrace, feeling weightless as she returned it. As he looked over her shoulder, he could clearly see a picture of the two of them on her nightstand. She breathed deeply, tickling the hair on his neck. Suddenly his stomach dropped about three stories._

"_Well…" she began. Oh that boy, how devious he was. She was perfectly sure that he knew exactly why she had requested his company, or at least she had _been_ perfectly sure. She figured that this was all apart of the dance that they did around each other, but with the seed of doubt planted, she could not refuse him. She knew that she could not give the appearance that she doubted his own doubt; such an implication would be equivalent to calling him a liar. Her 'mate' had 'checked' her, as they say (whoever 'they' were). He had won. _

"_Well," She repeated, "what I mean to inquire is…" She felt herself beginning to slip into the same pattern of speech that Robin had exhibited just before. She now knew what it was like 'on the hook' and how terrible yet wonderful it was. It was an odd sensation indeed. _

"_Do you have the feelings for me?" Her words jumped from her lips before they could die on them. Suddenly both of their faces matched the coloration of her room splendidly. _

_Robin, quick on his feet as always, suddenly beamed at the cleverness of the idea he had just hatched. He had never thought that his foreign language studies with Alfred would be utilized in this particular manner, but it was certainly a worthwhile usage. Robin replied to her speaking in a way she found unfamiliar. She had never heard him speak like this before, she could not quite make out the words. After determining that he was no longer speaking English, she flashed a knowing smile and pulled him towards her. Robin felt her lips meet his own, the darkness of the room increasing the sensation measurably. He could feel her skin burning beneath the caress of his fingers on her cheek. Robin smiled against her mouth, knowing he had expertly executed his idea._

_After they released she breathed, "pardonnez-moi mon ami," into his ear, tickling him once more, "would you mind repeating that?"_

"_I said," Robin began quietly, this time in English, "that I do have 'the feelings' for you," he chuckled._

"_I –," Starfire began, though she was quickly cut off by Robin, who had decided he must continue._

"_Sorry," He mumbled sheepishly, acknowledging the fact that he just ran her right off of the verbal road, "But I think I have something else I want to say."_

"_Please continue, dearest friend Robin," she smiled at him. In truth, they both knew that they had 'the feelings' for each other long ago, even before the Tokyo trip. She had only used this question as a segue into what she had really wanted. That was something that she had refused to bail him out of, that was, as she understood it in Earth culture, 'on the man.'_

"_Starfire, I wanted to tell you that I have more than just feelings, I didn't understand before. It was like it was a different language," he chuckled, again mentally complimenting himself on his cleverness.  
_

"_Yes, dearest friend Robin?" she prompted, noticing the pause he had taken._

"_Will you be mine?" he smiled toothily, mortified by his cliché remark._

"_Whatever do you mean? I always have been yours, my Robin," she giggled, smiling widely at him. At that, his ears simply exploded. He could not believe that she had just said that, mostly because the answer itself was extremely gratifying but also because his cliché remarks pale in comparison to her own. It sure was a good thing Star liked 'the cheese' as she referred to it. Completely enraptured, he entangled her in his arms, pulling her close to him. He gasped slightly as she put one of her hands on his heart and slowly pushed him over onto his side, still clinging to him._

* * *

That was a year ago. Other than Starfire and Robin's relationship very slowly growing, not much changed for the Titans. It had been business as usual, which in many ways, was a very good thing.

There was, however, one significant change in the lives of the young superheroes, though it really was more a superficial matter than one of deeper substance. Not long after Starfire and Robin had become official, his mentor and surrogate father, Bruce Wayne, had requested that Dick give up the title of Robin. The reason had been two fold. Bruce felt now that Dick was 18 and officially beyond his legal care, he should complete his transition to adulthood by adopting his own persona, leaving the undeniable shadow that the Bat had cast over him. Something about this irked Dick. He had felt as if he was no longer wanted by Bruce, he knew that they were already on extremely thin ice, but this had shocked him. Dick, however, did not reveal his ire, as Bruce had solid reasoning and was remaining quite cordial. Dick could tell that the Bat had no intention of provoking him, and for that, he was thankful. Bruce also revealed that he had found a new sidekick. That had visibly sent Dick over the edge. Bruce, seeing this, assured him that he was not thrilled about the prospect of allowing someone to step into the place he felt rightfully still belonged to Dick Grayson. This time, feeling as if Bruce were trying to placate him, Dick removed his cape and let it fall to the ground as he stormed out of the room, leaving Bruce on the other side of the computer.

By this time, Dick had moved on from his admittedly childlike reaction to his sensible change in persona. Dick had taken on the name of Nightwing, a reference to Kal-El, better known as Clark Kent or Superman. Clark had used the name while on Krypton, taking the name of a native, nocturnal bird, not completely unlike the winged Earth mammal, the Bat. Though Starfire had clearly not been happy that Bruce had taken away her Robin, she also quickly learned to like Dick's new transformation. Very much.

Dick, now Nightwing, stood taller than he had before as Robin. Not only because he felt he had found something that defined him without drawing comparison to Batman, but also because in the course of this last year, he had grown considerably. He was now several inches taller, surpassing Starfire, for which she was grateful. He also maintained a trim, yet toned body, for which she was also grateful. Raven, had always been more or less 'womanly' not leaving much room for considerable growth. Cyborg experienced virtually no growth, which is not surprising considering that a little more than half of his body was mechanical. Beast Boy, who was the youngest of the group, was just beginning to show signs of bulking slightly and had added several inches to his height. Raven was now the shortest member of their group, much to her chagrin. Starfire had also filled out quite nicely, managing to obtain all of the correct curves while keeping the unwanted ones away.

* * *

Dick stood over his workbench in the garage, mending several small gashes in his uniform. His last fight with the elusive Red X would not be one he soon forgot. It was not often Dick had to mend his uniform, but Dick himself had designed the equipment that Red X used, and it was not often that he had to dodge projectiles at all similar to his own Birdarangs. Cyborg had helped install a good deal of very high tech equipment in the suit and as a result, he did not have multiples as he once had of his Robin outfit. In fact, Dick's new get up was quite different from his Robin uniform in many ways. His new uniform was capeless and completely black with the exception of a midnight blue V that spread across his chest, with its 'wings' reaching from shoulder to shoulder then down each arm. Having been lost in thought, Dick now realized that Cyborg had joined him in the garage, currently on his back rolled under the T-car. Dick couldn't imagine what Cy could possibly be doing now; it seemed that the thing got an upgrade or hardware change every other week.

"What is it this time Cy, swapping the cup holders again?" Dick called over his shoulder cheekily.

"Not today, no time. I've gotta be back upstairs in 20 minutes to school BB at Super Ninja Showdown: Extreme3. Though I was looking at some new cup-holder designs, I am not sure that I'm really feelin' those old ones anymore." Cyborg quickly spouted off, he was definitely in a hurry to complete whatever project he was working on.

"Well then what –," Dick had cut short as he felt the warm glow of Starfire at his back. "What _are _you working on then?" Dick inquired skeptically, pretending not to notice Starfire as she floated silently closer. As he had finished speaking, she turned him around and caught him in her embrace. Dick smiled satisfactorily, allowing her to believe she had surprised him. The whole time, Cyborg continued to babble on about his project.

"I'm workin' on adding an RC car interface into the T-car, I was able to find some unused space in the trunk that fits the miniature T-car perfectly," Cyborg began, "a car in a car! It's genius! It'll be like playing a videogame but for real!"

Under normal circumstances, Dick might have thought that Cy was losing it and that perhaps it was time for _him_ to get an update, however, he remained silent for the moment.

"Now, I know what you're going to say," Cyborg prattled on from under the car, his best Dick Grayson impressions at the ready, "Hi, I'm a Dick, saving superheroes everywhere from fun." Much to Cyborg's surprise, there was still no response. Dick did begin to scowl through his lip lock, much to Starfire's amusement. He had half a mind to drop the charade and go key the T-car.

"Okay, okay, maybe that one wasn't so good, but this one is on the M-O-N-E, money," Cyborg smirked as he rebuilt the dike, "Superheroes don't play with toy cars Cyborg, and we don't have time for your games." Cyborg began to scowl; he was worried that he was losing his touch, maybe it's time for _him_ to get an update, Cyborg silently pondered. This time it was Starfire's turn to giggle silently, as she remembered that Dick had said something very similar to her while they were in Tokyo.

"Dick? You there?" Cyborg began, becoming frustrated he began to shout "Aw come on man! I thought that last one was pretty damn g-," Cyborg broke off as he lifted the T-car from the ground to growl at Dick, always taking advantage of a chance to overdo it, rather than simply roll from underneath.

Cyborg dropped the car and had to chew on the wrench he had been using at the time to keep from laughing at the scene in front of him.

"Ummm, you know what Dick? I just finished up, I uh, think I'm gonna get going upstairs and kick some of BB's green tail," Cyborg guffawed as he quickly exited the room, still struggling to hold onto his impish mirth. As soon as he had left the room, Starfire released him, gasping for much needed oxygen.

"Thanks... Star… you're... timing… couldn't have… been better," Dick managed to get out between breaths, laughing.

"I am happy that my 'spots were on'," she giggled, thinking herself to have correctly used the colloquial term. That was one thing Dick was unsure was ever going to change. She had been living on Earth for just over 4 years now, by which point she seemed to grasp the meaning of most Earth phrases, but her phrasing itself was horribly wrong, which is something that he had always enjoyed about her. He smiled at her briefly, then running his fingers across the mended tears, folded the suit over his arm and took Starfire in his other.

"Oh! Please forgive me, but I have forgotten my reason for coming to meet you! The Batman has called, he wishes to speak to you," tugging at his hand, she feared that since Dick's spots were not on for his meeting, that Bruce would be displeased.

Starfire did not like to see Dick angry, and it always seemed that when Bruce had called, invariably, Dick got angry.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

I must say, I enjoy writing Cyborg and Beast Boy's characters a lot. This is certainly one of their better chapters, I feel bad that they get cut out of so much of the rest, I just find character development for them quite difficult. Not a whole lot there, at least as far as Beast Boy is concerned haha.

Here is the main introduction to what gets the rest of the story rolling. I know monkeying around and adding your own stuff to a established and loved series can be dangerous, but I wanted something that I could say I actually own and that it was my idea (see below), plus adding an element of uncertainty can be a very good thing.

_**Forgot this in the first chapter: I do not own the Teen Titans, Batman or any other piece of the DC Universe.  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

"Everyone out," Dick growled through slightly gritted teeth. He did not want to have an audience when he and Bruce began their conversation. He had pulled his freshly mended uniform on just for the occasion, complete with a new winged mask.

Cyborg and Raven, after turning to look at him, became quite curious. They had not lounged around in uniforms regularly for at least 6 months. Beast Boy, Starfire and even Raven began dressing more casually. Beast Boy paused their video game, still looking at the screen, apparently deep in thought; Dick could practically see the rusty gears turning in his head.

"Dude, get a room, three beats two," he laughed mischievously. At that, Cyborg erupted with amusement. Dick clenched his fists at his sides, formulating a comeback.

"Come on man, I let ya'll have the workbench, I thought we talked about the couch already," Cyborg chided. Raven simply rolled her eyes and returned to her floating tome. Dick took a step forward, pointing a finger just before Cyborg interrupted.

"Why'd you bother puttin' on your uniform anyway?" Cyborg began slowly, giving the subject second thought, "You guys don't uh… role-play… do ya?"

Beast Boy was grinning from ear to ear, slowly losing focus on his game. They both had decided the one that had walked through the door was quickly becoming much more entertaining. Starfire blushed, putting her hand to her mouth, unsuccessfully hiding her own laughter from Dick.

"Oh come on guys, we've been together for almost a year now, I thought we got passed this sometime last month, and besides you know how Tamaranean courtship works, you know that we can't…" Dick trailed off, not wishing to say more. Unfortunately, this meant that whatever was supposed to come next was left entirely up to their warped interpretation…

"Wait. You guys are telling me that you can't have _sex_?" Cyborg guffawed in disbelief. Raven, having had enough, slapped Cyborg with a wave of her dark energy and used other bits of energy to plug Beast Boy's ears.

"Oh no! You are most mistaken friend Cyborg, our species genetic makeup and reproductive compositions are quite compatible, allowing for healthy and pleasurable sexual intercourse," she said innocently, not knowing Cyborg was joking, "what Richard refers to is the process through which we must go in order to observe and respect my culture," she finished smiling. Dick couldn't help but smile a little, knowing that Starfire had unwittingly succeeded in turning the joke around.

"Star it's okay I was just ribbing ya guys a bit, ya didn't have to go all clinical on me," Cyborg said with a sigh, the wind suddenly taken out of his sails.

"So, why did you really want us to leave exactly?" inquired Raven, speaking up as the conversation began to head in a more civil direction.

"Bruce has requested that I speak with him," Dick replied, his mood suddenly souring as he was reminded of his task, "for what purpose, I'm blissfully unaware," he concluded, with somewhat more of an edge to his tone.

"Dude, calm down you're more steamed than a vegetable in a retirement home," Beast Boy prodded, threatening to kick up the antics once more. Raven shot him a look that could kill. Assuming they existed, she certainly had them.

Dick, struggling to keep his composure, breathed and once again asked that he have the Ops room to himself for a few moments. Just then, the familiar claxon signaling a situation that called for the Titans blared throughout the building. Cyborg, now all business, picked up the television remote and activated the crime watch program, allowing them to zero in on the problem.

* * *

To everyone's surprise, except for Dick's, the Dark Knight himself appeared in full crime-fighting regalia. Oh how Dick hated when he hacked the alarm to get their attention.

"Holy piss! We have to fight the Batman?" Beast Boy exclaimed in disbelief, promptly turning into a mouse and taking cover under the sofa.

"I hope I'm not overdressed," Bruce critiqued gruffly, noticing that no one other than Dick looked at all like they were prepared to respond to a real alarm.

"Hello Bruce," Dick began warily, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"An old friend of mine actually," Bruce countered smoothly, pretending not to notice Dick's tone, "it seems yet another has come back from the dead."

"It's a wonder you manage to make them," Dick sighed nonchalantly, "friends, that is," Dick clarified, satisfied with his cheek.

The chaos, and mood, of the room had died quite drastically; it was almost as if Dick and Bruce were the only ones present. Just as Dick was noticing that they were still there, the Titans got up to leave. Bruce quickly interrupted his chuckling asking them to stay.

"What I called about pertains to you all, not just Grayson," the Bat continued. As if in a trance, the Titans sat back down, saying nothing. Dick was their leader and they would allow him to do the talking, so as not to embarrass him. Everyone knew that while he did not like it, you could embarrass him in front of Starfire with near impunity; the Caped Crusader was quite another matter entirely. They were grateful to be in the room at the moment. They would not jeopardize their ringside seating with their usual inane antics.

"While I can certainly say that I'm pleased to see you all, I'm afraid that the call is not quite that simple," Bruce confessed.

"Do enlighten us," Dick said eyeing the screen.

"Very well then, I was never much for pleasantries anyway," Bruce sighed, the first signs of frustration readable from what little expression was visible from under the cowl.

"As I had said before, it seems a friend of mine has robbed death and is up to his normal routine after lying dormant for quite some time. He is, or was, known as The Jackal or simply, Jackal. He was an occasional partner of mine, and friend, before I had met Dick," Batman explained. "Lately, he has drawn much attention, becoming a regional legend… though nothing quite as illustrious as me," Bruce smirked, quickly adding the last bit of information. "Due to his surprising re-emergence, and my past with him, I would like you to investigate his activities, it shouldn't be anything too taxing. I would do this myself but I do not believe a rendezvous with him would be in my best interests." Batman had finished speaking, but Dick was quick to pick up on his subtle evasiveness.

"Well, generally speaking it isn't in one's best interests to associate with friends whose retirement you probably had a hand in," Dick chuckled, his mood improving as his curiosity peaked.

"Precisely," Bruce concurred cryptically.

"So Bruce, at risk of sounding rude; what is it that you're not telling us?" Dick smiled, knowing his old mentor did not expect to be put on the spot.

"Fair enough, I should have figured that I wouldn't get much by the world's second best detective," Bruce smiled paying himself two compliments as he paid Dick one as well, "but I suppose that is also why I am enlisting your help," Bruce concluded. "I suppose you should know that the last time I actually saw the Jackal, before recently, was just before he went off after the Joker on a hostage rescue," Bruce admitted. "The Joker had taken his family, and Jackal wanted my help in the rescue effort. Unfortunately I received his message later than intended, and by the time I had arrived, it had been too late," Bruce paused, his eyes shifting from the camera. "I had presumed that he and his family had all been murdered at the hands of the Joker and his gang, and I'm still not quite convinced that they weren't," Bruce intoned thoughtfully. "If the Jackal of today is really the same Jackal, there is no telling what brainwashing the Joker had put him through and even if the Joker didn't brainwash him, I can only imagine how demented his mind must be. More likely, however," Bruce continued, "is that whatever Joker agent is now wearing his uniform, is only building himself a reputation to destroy the trust he has earned, tarnishing my name and yours as well."

Bruce did not need to lecture Dick on the dangers of a rogue superhero. Dick knew as well as any that anti-superhero sentiments were dangerous. He had remembered a time when he and Batman were considered dangerous criminals by Gotham City. Most heroes understood that their job was a thankless one, but being an outlaw and underappreciated were two starkly different things. Dick sat thoughtfully for a few moments before looking up to summarize the situation.

"So we have a decade old hero that you presumed to be dead, who is now running around Gotham doing your job, eh? You suspect he has gone rogue, or will anyway, but he could also be a normal guy and you want us to find out if he is or not?" Dick concluded.

"Like I said, not much gets by you, Dick," The Batman half grinned.

"We will be happy to lend a hand, and should he indeed be rogue, we will bring him in along with whoever he is working with or for." Dick announced, somewhat smugly. Bruce's brow furrowed ever so slightly, he had expected it to be much more difficult to convince Dick to help him.

"Oh Bruce, you should also perhaps look into Ra's al-Ghul, I hear he has a thing for reviving your dead friends," Dick smiled as his eyes flashed, "wouldn't be the first time he's _Robbed_ the Joker of a kill." Batman, unamused and stone faced glared back at Dick.

"Truthfully, I had not considered that," Bruce growled through gritted teeth, "When do you think you will be arriving?" Bruce continued, quickly changing the subject.

"We should make it by tomorrow night, we'll be able to call over Titans East to watch Jump for us, but it will be a bit short notice. We will be in Gotham as soon as we can," Dick assured him.

"Good, I look forward to it," Bruce finished tersely as he terminated the call.

* * *

Bruce remained exactly as he had been after ending the call. With no one to compose himself for, he allowed his fury to seep out.

He scowled at Dick's insolence, but he was also slowly growing accustomed to it. What truly made Bruce tick was Dick's reference to Jason, his most recent sidekick. Bruce had made the mistake of taking in the second Robin, even after the debacle with the first.

Somewhere in his head, Bruce had known it was a bad idea. He was not in a business where it paid to have friends. This very concept is what caused Dick and himself to become so estranged in the first place. Bruce knew that Dick did not like his ideas about friendship, but all the evidence said Bruce was right.

The Jackal and Todd were no exception, now that Bruce thought about it. They had both met their demise because the Joker had a way to get to them, their family. Of course, to be fair, the Jackal had always been quite careless with his identity, giving the Joker the information he needed to hurt more than just the hero.

Bruce sat in thought, studying the large computer screen, filled with articles and recent news about the Titans.

"Hello Master Bruce," Alfred began in his proper English accent, "it appears you have completed your conference with Master Dick?"

"Hello Alfred, I have, they should be here tomorrow, please prepare five rooms."

"Certainly Master Bruce," Alfred complied, "I have missed the company of the young Titans."

This prompted Bruce to think back to the last time that the Titans had been guests in Wayne Manor, nearly two years ago. Bruce was not displeased by the memory, but he did not seem to remember it as fondly as Alfred had. At that time, Dick had still been Robin and things had been more cordial between them, but the matter of the alien girl had been a sticking point.

"I don't believe they're quite as young as you likely remember," Bruce brooded, considering how much more entangled Dick must be with his little liability. Just because they were growing out of their awkward teenage years, didn't mean they were any less foolish, perhaps maybe even more so.

"Master Bruce," Alfred smirked, "when you get to be my age, _everyone _is young."

* * *

Dick began entering the numbers to access the private line in Titans East's tower just as Cyborg interrupted, clapping his hand on Dick's back.

"Already taken care of, Bee says they'll be here tomorrow afternoon," Cyborg grinned at him. "Now if you still want the room," Cyborg started, his human eye wandering over to where Starfire was standing, while his cybernetic orb remained fixed on Dick, "I've got some packing to do." He then promptly marched back down to the garage, whistling to himself, without giving Dick the chance to make any kind of comeback.

Everyone filtered out of the Ops room now, heading for their rooms to pack for their trip. No one new how long they would be staying, so each Titan packed enough to ensure that they would be comfortable.

Dick, zipping his suitcase, sighed knowing that the hours would drag before their departure. He had to admit he was excited to get back to Gotham on business.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

This, in my opinion is where the story begins to take it's shape a little bit more. I enjoyed writing the interaction here, I've seen it done a few different ways and ultimately decided on a familiar approach between Bruce and the Titans. I think it helps to humanize Bruce's character a bit, right before we're all reminded of how much of a hardass Bruce really is.

I also relished the chance to include their eccentric tastes in pizza (no pun intended). I still need to find a way to work in Starfire's strange obsession with mustard.

Oh, and for you who dislike flashbacks, this is it for awhile, possibly for the story. Just depends on how well they can be relevantly tied into the storyline.

_**I do not own the Teen Titans, Batman or any other piece of the DC Universe. Though my birthday is in 5 months...*crosses fingers*  
**_

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

After a long, cross continent trip, the Titans gazed out over the Gotham skyline. It would have been a beautiful sight, if Dick hadn't known better.

The T-ship engaged its cloaking device as they made their approach while Dick plugged in the coordinates of the opening they would be using to gain entrance to the batcave. After a short flight over Gotham, they arrived on the outskirts of the city, hovering lightly above the ground.

Dick waited and watched carefully, looking for the signal. Just as he was growing impatient, the earth started to shift in front of them. Before long, a large fissure wide enough to accommodate their vehicle was now present, the local flora and fauna appearing to be completely undisturbed by the displacement. Cyborg carefully guided the ship through the cavern that snaked its way towards the batcave.

The Titans looked perplexed as they rounded the next bend coming face to face with a seemingly solid rock wall.

"Uh, Dick, you sure about this?" Cyborg questioned, beginning to wonder if they had made some sort of error.

"Positive, keep on going," Dick said coolly.

Though Cyborg still had his reservations, he trusted Dick, but this was his baby they were talking about, after all. Cyborg continued to the throttle the ship gently as they approached the wall. Cyborg guided the ship right into the wall, and to his great relief, right through the other side.

Four sets of eyes beamed as they found themselves in the batcave, Bruce waiting at the landing pad, this time in his civilian clothes. There was a hiss of air rushing from the T-ship as the individual cockpits were de-pressurized and the glass slid back to allow them to exit. Dick looked around the cave, noticing it was much the same as he had remembered it, with one notable exception.

"Hello Dick," Batman grunted, belying his pleasure that his old sidekick had returned, even if only temporarily.

"Nice to see you again Bruce," Dick said, surprised by the truth he felt in his voice. He then took Wayne's offered hand, shaking firmly.

"And of course, always my pleasure, Princess Koriand'r," Bruce intoned, preferring her Tamaranean name and title, before continuing "Rachel, Garfield, Victor," as he nodded to each successively.

Dick was not sure to make of Bruce's highlighting of Starfire, was it scrutiny or acceptance? You could never really tell with him. Starfire blushed slightly, apparently taking this as a positive.

"So what ya got for us this time Bats?" Beast Boy laughed, unabashed by his brazen inquiry.

Despite their stoic silence yesterday during the call, the Titans generally felt at ease around Bruce. Unless they knew that he and Dick we're doing the angsty father-son thing, as Beast Boy had dubbed it, which was quite often. Dick, having set the tone with his friendly greeting, opened the door to Beast Boy's normal antics.

"I figured Cyborg and yourself might like to help me test an experimental virtual reality game station system Wayne Enterprises is currently in the process of developing," Bruce smiled, visibly amused, "we're marketing it as a videogame product, but in truth it's intention was to be a training simulation for police. Naturally, my own regimen is a bit more difficult than the stock version." Bruce added, throwing more bait to the green teen.

"Wait, Wayne Enterprises makes the game stations?" Beast Boy exclaimed after picking his jaw up off the floor.

"I thought everyone knew that, it has the company name on all of the games and consoles," Bruce chuckled.

"Odd, English is one of Garfield's best skills," Raven chided flatly yet seriously, knowing how much Beast Boy disliked his true name.

"Rae, you know I don't read right?"

"Yep." A satisfied smile hiding beneath her hood as understanding passed over Beast Boy's face.

At this time, Beast Boy and Cyborg slithered off, Beast Boy literally, in the direction of the game station console. It certainly paid to have Bruce Wayne as a surrogate uncle, at least of sorts, Beast Boy concluded. Bruce chuckled, then turning his attention to Raven, asked if he could help with their luggage.

As if drawn by the term 'luggage' Alfred appeared, walking down the stairs behind the grandfather clock in Bruce's living room, to greet them.

"Master Dick, what _have _you done to your hair?" Alfred exclaimed, noticing the once-boy-wonder had allowed his hair to grow just pass shoulder length.

"Oh… this?" Dick managed uncomfortably, running a hand through his hair, "It's all the rage in Jump, a superhero has to stay current Alfred," he grimaced, his ears failing to believe he had made up such a bogus lie.

In truth, it was another part of the Tamaranean courtship process. Starfire had once mentioned to him, trying to be sly, that men of the royal warrior caste on her planet allowed their hair to grow to their mid back. This seemed counter-intuitive to Dick, thinking that long hair could only be a hindrance in battle, but he took the hint. After a few months without a haircut, Starfire began to take notice. She had assured him that he didn't need to anything he didn't want to, but Dick had told her firmly that they were going to do this right, in the tradition of her people. Besides, Dick didn't mind at all, taking it as a part of his redefinition as Nightwing. He had recalled that Starfire had said his future self had hair that was quite long, and in that timeline, Starfire hadn't even been around to provide the reason.

Alfred, seeming to accept his lie for now, moved on to the others.

Mistress Raven, Miss Starfire," greeted Alfred, bowing his head, pantomiming the tip of a hat.

"Oh most glorious salutations to you, friend Alfred," Starfire exclaimed trapping him in a signature bone breaking hug.

After his release, Alfred looked pained as he now realized that the young alien had sapped his arms of the strength he would likely need to haul their cases two stories above. Bruce, seeing this, offered to help Alfred as he began removing Beast Boy and Cyborg's bags.

Alfred, knowing the alien sincerely meant no harm, insisted that he was undamaged and capable. Regardless, Bruce also removed two bags and followed Alfred out of the batcave beckoning the Titans to follow them.

As Dick went to close the storage compartment of the T-ship, he realized Starfire's bag had been left behind. Noticing they were already half way across the cave with their hands full already, Dick picked up her bag and followed along hurriedly.

As they were exiting the cave, Starfire stole a look back at the glass costume cases. She looked longingly at the two Robin uniforms. One thrashed and mangled; the other exactly as she remembered it the day she had let it go. One was Jason's and the other Dick's, but it was of little consequence to her, as both Robins had died. Fortunately, in her eyes, Richard had become something even better. She did not expect Wayne Manor or the batcave to ensconce her in such nostalgia, but all she could think of was the last time they had been here.

* * *

"_Robin? Is something the matter?" Starfire whispered, opening Robin's door only a crack. She could clearly hear shouting as he came up the stairs to guest wing from the batcave minutes before. She had patiently waited several minutes in her own room before deeming it safe to go talk to him. She did not like to see Robin angry; she always liked him much more when he was happy. As a result, she would usually at least attempt to cheer him up._

"_Yeah, I'm fine Star, thanks," He lied. She knew he was dishonest and did not give up quite so easily. She sat in silence for a moment, face pressed to the crack in the door._

"_Robin?" She whispered softly, repeating herself.  
_

"_Yes Starfire?" He replied, finding it hard to be annoyed with her. He loved the way she said his name as a question._

"_May I come in?" Her voice even quieter now than it had been before. _

_Robin groaned, perhaps a little too audibly._

_Hearing this, Starfire's heart sank as she began to close the door, "I am sorry, friend Robin, I do not wish to be the cause of your continued frustration." Now it was Robin's turn to have his heart sink. If only she knew, he thought to himself._

"_Star?" He called out, the door stopped moving, but she did not reply. "Star," He said once more, "please come in," he finished, relenting._

_Starfire pushed the door open only slightly, slipped through into his room, then closed the door behind her. Robin's eyes went wide as they looked at her. Her short, pink nightdress was not particularly revealing; there was just something about seeing her in nightclothes that got him going. Seeing his reaction, Starfire, clutched the garment, suddenly shrinking behind her arms blushing faintly.  
_

"_I am sorry, you do not approve of my attire?" she stammered, mortification slowly crawling over her._

"_Oh no! I approve, it's okay, you look very nice," Robin said quite rapidly. The smile slowly returned to Starfire's face, her tiny eyebrows arching upwards again._

"_I am very glad that you think so," she giggled, "now tell me, what is it that is giving you the bothers?" _

_Robin had two things in mind, one was getting him bothered, the other was bothering him, but he thought better of responding with either answer and decided on continuing his unsuccessful evasion._

"_It's not really important, it doesn't matter," Robin dodged, at least truthfully. Starfire's diminutive eyebrows now furrowed, knowing what he was doing._

"_If that is so, you would not have used such volume when speaking to your k'norfka," Starfire countered, hands now on her hips. Robin's eyes followed her arms, coming to rest on her hips. Now that her abdomen had found its way into his head, he could not stop noticing it, making the interrogation that much more difficult._

"_Since you insist on knowing," He began slowly, "Bruce does not think that we should…" his voice trailing off, trying to figure out his words as he went. Starfire waited patiently, walking around the side of the bed to sit next to him._

"_The Batman does not think we should what?" she asked, signs of sadness beginning to creep into her voice. As far as Starfire knew, the only thing they were was friends. She could not bear the idea of the Batman, Robin's k'norfka, disapproving of their friendship._

"_He does not think we should be a team," Robin finished, hoping that his loose stretch of the real situation would go undiscovered. Starfire's entire face seemed to droop as her emerald eyes glistened with moisture._

"_I…," she murmured, choking back her emotions, "I…-."_

"_I don't know about you," he began, speaking her native tongue as he put his arm around her, "but I don't really like that idea." She gasped in surprise, she had taught him basic words, phrases and grammar, but not this much, he must have been studying on his own!_

"_Robin! Your Tamaranean, it is…better!" Starfire announced, elated. Then the words that he had said sunk in, while a smile blindly began to find its way back onto her face. "I am glad that you feel that way dearest friend Robin," she smiled fully now._

"_Are you kidding? I couldn't let you go," he smirked, putting his free hand awkwardly on top of hers, "or the others either," he added uncomfortably, forgetting himself for a moment. _

_Starfire's heart jumped, lost in her unbridled joy, she began to float ever so slightly off of the bed. Realizing this, she quickly stood up, wished Robin a pleasant sleep and immediately ran off to Raven's room to do 'the girl talk.'_

* * *

They had all been settled into their rooms and were now in the dining hall eagerly awaiting Alfred's home cooked pizza. Normally the smell of Alfred's cooking was the epitome of sensory sensationalism, where food was concerned anyway, and this evening was no exception.

Beast Boy seemed disappointed that he would likely have to settle for a plain cheese pizza and began to argue with Cyborg about the validity of tofu as a pizza topping. Just as they seemed to finish their argument, Alfred entered the room, cradling three smaller pan pizzas on one arm with a rather large pizza on the other arm.

"While I am not a fan of tofu, I believe that in this case it is a permissible pizza topping, Master Beast Boy," Alfred allowed, setting an all vegan pizza in front of him.

"And to accommodate our most carnivorous guest," Alfred resumed, turning to Cyborg, "I have prepared a pizza topped with pepperoni, sausage, salami, bacon and beef" he concluded, with a grin, happy that he had been able to exceed their expectations. Both Titans expressed their gratitude through mouthfuls of pizza, each one trying to outdo the others appreciation of their specially made pizza.

"And for the princess," tittered Alfred, "pickles, caramelized banana and mint frosting. I must say, that I have never seen such a…" Alfred paused, phrasing carefully, "such eclectic taste, you really will have to share some of your Tamaranean delicacies with me," giving her a bona fide smile.

"Oh it is my favorite! How ever did you know?" Starfire squealed with girlish glee.

"Master Bruce has inspected countless news articles, magazine editorials and TV interviews," Alfred chuckled, "I assure you; the analysis had been strictly professional until he happened upon an article on favored food."

Dick felt his ears redden, suddenly quite happy that he and Starfire had chosen not to even allude to their relationship despite aggressive media prodding.

"Finally, for those of you without any taste or imagination, a large pepperoni," Alfred said quite plainly, as if mocking their choice in topping. "Master Bruce will be joining you quite soon, I will be in the kitchen should you require me," he finished, walking back through the door.

"Wow, suddenly your thoroughness seems much less, well, thorough, Dick," Raven said flatly, despite her amusement.

Dick smiled, slicing the pepperoni and handing the first slice to Raven. He explained that many of Bruce's qualities had rubbed off on him, but was also quick to add that he liked to believe he was still much more toned down than Bruce could be.

Dick noticed that despite the rather odd assortment of pizza present, the smell was still quite good. He took a sidelong glance at Starfire and her pizza, if one could call it that. How in the world could that possibly smell good? Starfire, noticing his stealthy stare, offered him a bite of her creepy confection.

Dick, too polite to turn her down, slowly became genuinely interested in what it could taste like. Starfire instantly recognized his 'well, it won't kill me' shrug. She had grown accustomed to this reaction as a result of her frequent preparation of traditional Tamaranean foods for him. She beamed with excitement as she raised the pizza to Richard's lips. Oh how she loved to share things with him.

Dick, taking her pizza in his mouth, bit down carefully, crunching a pickle in half. He shuddered as he chewed his mouthful, reminding himself that it was for Starfire. His tongue, swearing mutiny, forced it down so it would no longer subjected to the horrific taste.

"Is it not glorious, dearest Richard?" she asked excitedly as she withdrew her pizza from his mouth. He had screwed up his face, giving her a forced smile that would break a mirror.

"It's wonderful," he grimaced sheepishly, "but go ahead, you finish, I'd hate to deprive you of your special made pizza," he added quickly as she proffered her slice once more.

He would have to be sure she brushed her teeth quite well before he would be comfortable kissing her again, though the mint flavor may not be too terrible. Unfortunately for Dick, she could read his face like a book.

"Most excellent, more for me," she laughed, sympathizing with his reluctance.

Punctual as always, Bruce sauntered into his dining room. A minute or two earlier and Dick would have been quite embarrassed.

As Bruce took his seat at the head of the table, the satisfying aroma of Alfred's pizza pervaded his sense of smell. Bruce was not generally the type to get too involved in other peoples food or eating habits, but he could not help but be nauseated by Starfire's pizza. What could Dick possibly see in her? Bruce would not deny that she was quite beautiful, but he knew Dick wasn't _that _shallow. Bruce then reminded himself that she was an alien after all. He certainly was familiar with Clark's fair share of idiosyncrasies.

"How are you all enjoying the… pizza?" Bruce asked, unsure of whether to include everyone's meal in the same category of food, if you could even call it food.

Cyborg and Beast Boy, still stuffing their faces only slowed down enough to grunt contentedly, showing their appreciation. Starfire, finishing her small mouthful announced that it was utterly delicious, while Raven agreed.

"Just as delicious as I remembered it," Dick replied, showing appreciation for the meal.

"Good, I'll be sure to pass that along to Alfred," finished Bruce. Now that he had made the obligatory small talk, he turned towards business. "Do hurry, I hate to put you all to work so soon, but I've got a promising lead that I'd like to have you all investigate."

Cyborg and Beast Boy had already been eating fast, but not nearly as fast as they could have been. Even at their current speed, they were still allegedly savoring their meal. Unfortunately, given the invitation, they inhaled the remainder of their pizza.

* * *

The group convened downstairs in the batcave in front of Bruce's large supercomputer. Bruce began explaining their individual objectives as he pulled up a large, grid map of Gotham city's business district. Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Kori, as Bruce had taken to calling her, were to fan out and patrol the area looking for signs of the Jackal. Bruce was primarily interested in obtaining firsthand accounts of his interaction with civilians and criminals. He also hoped that trailing the Jackal may lead to the discovery of other sensitive information such as hideouts, accomplices or potentially whoever was pulling the strings, should such a person exist. Bruce then explained that he wanted Dick to stay central to the group, ready to respond to trouble should any of his teammates require assistance. Dick new Gotham best, but couldn't be everywhere at once, so Bruce felt it was most prudent to hold him in reserve until someone found something worth thorough investigation. At the conclusion of the meeting, they all agreed to return by 2 a.m. at the very latest.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:

Okay, because of the visits and views, I've decided to upload Chapter 4 a little earlier than I thought I might, I like this chapter a lot, unlike the last three. This is the first BIG opening to the rest of the story, there is a lot of foreshadowing going on here that will be expanded on in later chapters.

Also, as a side note, I absolutely hate thinking up Tamaranean words. My method is to take a given word and then type every letter to the left of the proper letter, then play with it a bit. I know that is terribly lame, if anyone has suggestions I am definitely open to them haha.

As a final note, please do write reviews letting me know what you think. Like I said before, this is my first attempt at writing any kind of fanfic. I know that when I would read peoples stories and saw them begging for reviews, I would laugh and rarely review. Now, as a sort-of-author, I can empathize with how important it is to know whether you're doing things people like or dislike. For me, it's a very strange sort of validation that my time is well spent haha.

* * *

_**Chapter 4**_

Dick, preparing to leave, was sure to take a quick inventory of his equipment. He tied his high-impact, polymerized eskrima sticks together and fastened them to the sheath on the back of his utility belt. Afterwards, he counted out 15 folded Birdarangs, all safely fastened to his belt. He also had an unhealthy supply of darts in a bracelet-like bandolier fastened around his right gauntlet. That only left him to be sure he had his smoke and flash grenades, which were also in their appropriate compartments on his belt right next to his three bolas and emergency grappling hook. Armed to the teeth as he was, hopefully he wouldn't have to use any of his toys on this particular mission.

Dick opened up the window to one of Wayne Manor's upper-most spires, coming to rest hunched on the windowsill. He peered out as his friends flew away towards the city. Cyborg was nowhere to be seen as he was likely unloading the T-car from the T-ship's small vehicle bay. That had been one of his better vehicle upgrades, already proving to be extremely useful. Dick noticed that Starfire was taking her time, waiting and watching for his appearance no doubt. He thought he would treat her to a show, smirking inwardly.

She hated when he did that. Starfire looked on with horror as she began to feel herself sink slightly.

Dick plunged over the edge, putting his hands down at his sides increasing speed as he whistled through the air in a steep dive. As he rapidly approached the ground, now at terminal velocity, he unfurled his artificial midnight blue wings. He now soared upward redirecting the same break-neck velocity as he accelerated through the night sky. He was extremely grateful that Cyborg had been able to work out how to build these things and then work them into his suit design without compromising any of his mobility or balance. They were made from a very light yet durable metallo-fibre, not unlike the construction of his old cape. Bruce had also been working with the material on one of his newer suits. Dick thought that the signature bat ears may have been a little bit long on that particular model, but Bruce had assured him that they housed crucial electronics.

He circled Starfire, inviting her to join him under his wing. There were two major disadvantages to these new wings. For one, he could not hover as his other flying friends could and secondly, he missed flying with Starfire, holding onto her wrists trapeze style.

However, that was not to say that they did not fly with each other anymore. Recognizing this familiar invitation, Starfire met him as he orbited her, cozying up to his torso while maintaining her own flight. She felt Dick's strong hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. His breath was warm on her neck as he nuzzled her scarlet, windswept hair, while she contentedly sighed softly into the wind.

They were now nearing the business district, all seeming quiet for the moment. Dick knew exactly why Bruce had sent them here. Most crimes in progress occurred in Gotham's business district by virtue of the fact that most things worth stealing and most people worth kidnapping all could be found here. If it was criminals you were looking for, the industrial district was the place to conduct a warehouse raid, but tonight they were after a hero.

* * *

"Bat to Nightwing," Bruce chimed in. Dammit, how had he already cracked the suit's encrypted communication array? Dick subconsciously tightened his grip as he readjusted his hold on Starfire's hips, eliciting girlish giggles.

"Whaddya need Bruce, and is 'Nightwing' really necessary?" Dick sighed, his moment with Starfire now ruined.

"You don't think that I'm the only one capable of hacking your suit do you?" He began, the admonition in his voice quite plain. "It took me all of 5 minutes. With enough information to get started, even someone with normal intellect would be able to get through given enough time," his insistence on using their superhero alias' was quite clear and not unwarranted. He could deal with it; 'Nightwing' just didn't seem as much like a name as 'Robin' had.

"Alright, alright. I trust you'll help me with that later then," Dick scowled.

"Naturally. Your security is mine after all," Bruce conceded. "Anyway, about that lead; What I really need you to do is check out the Jackal's old residence. If it is the real Jackal, it's a safe bet that he will turn up back at his old place."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Dick questioned skeptically. Dick didn't normally find good reason to question him, but keeping the true primary objective a secret from the team was odd. Probably another reflection of his lone wolf sentiments, Dick figured.

"His old hall is worth several million and is quite large," Bruce began, "not quite as nice as Wayne Manor of course, but not something you would just let go of either," he added quickly.

"Can you upload the coordinates?" Dick asked, feeling he already knew the answer.

"I can talk to you, as well as see and hear everything you do, of course I can upload coordinates," Bruce grunted, scowling at such an obtuse question.

"Wait... you can what?"

"Nothing, carry on. Oh, also be sure to tell Koriand'r I said hello," Bruce smirked, beginning to put Dick into a bind.

"Will do," Dick said abruptly.

A few moments passed as Dick waited for the coordinates to finish uploading.

"I don't believe I hear anything, Nightwing," Bruce persisted.

Dick audibly sighed in frustration as he back winged onto a rooftop. It wasn't the old man's style to fool around on a mission.

Even as he thought it to himself, he knew he was mistaken. Bruce wasn't fooling with him; he was making Dick painfully aware of the fact that he kept no secrets from him. Bruce was shaming Dick purposefully, knowing that Dick would be more reserved with Starfire. Dick knew the Bat was right; he couldn't afford to allow his personal relationship with Starfire to spill over into his work.

Generally, he had been very good about this sort of thing; he was mostly responsible for their relationships sluggish pace. The duties of a superhero didn't leave a great deal of time for him to be jumping consistently through traditional Tamaranean hoops. Starfire understood this, but they both understood that if they cut any corners, their relationship would affect the group much more negatively than it might otherwise.

"Still waiting."

"Hey Star, I've got to get going to another part of town, I'll see you soon," He started, waiting to deliver Bruce's message last.

"_I_ _shall eagerly await the return of my Winged Knight_," She smiled, turning around in his arms to face him.

Dick felt his heart leap as he laughed to himself, appreciating her witty pun of his name. Her figurative understanding of English was getting much better. Oh shit, she had spoken Tamaranean; that certainly explained the deftness of speech, but could only mean one thing Dick thought in horror.

"Does she kiss her _kicw'e_ with that mouth?" Bruce buzzed in his ear. Apparently, he had been reading up on simple Tamaranean words. Dick was fairly certain that he could not understand much, but his usage of Tamaranean, despite the simplicity, was slightly disconcerting. In hindsight, he was glad that she had spoken Tamaranean.

Before she had a chance to lean into him, he quickly announced that the Batman sent his regards. Starfire brought her advances to a screeching halt, tittering uncomfortably, quickly turning pink as she extricated herself from Dick's arms.

"Obviously not," Bruce hissed as he watched her retreat from Dick's camera-enabled mask.

"Oh, how joyous to, erm…" Starfire hesitated, realizing her first choice of words did not quite fit the context, "…to _not_ see you Batman!" Starfire exclaimed, thinking she had properly rectified her error. Dick stifled a particularly unruly scowl.

"I must return to my hero duties now," she recited, grimacing "I shall _un_-not see you soon!"

At that, she hurriedly launched herself into the air circling the immediate area, checking for signs of their quarry before rocketing off into the distance. Similarly, Dick took a flying leap off of the side of the building, this time releasing his wings immediately so as not to attract unwanted attention with a hurtling dive.

* * *

"I demand that I never have to witness that behavior on a mission again," Bruce scolded, his voice laced with disgust. "I hope you understand exactly why it was that I humored your antics," he finished with a sneer. Suddenly, Cyborg's famed Dick Grayson impressions flooded back into his mind. Silently he wondered if he could do a good Bruce Wayne, they were beginning to sound similar enough.

"It's no wonder that they refer to you as 'the kids that live in a T'," Bruce scoffed, continuing to deride his protégé. Dick was fuming, but did not rise to Bruce's bait. Instead, he did what he knew Bruce was most likely to respect.

"I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again. Can we do this later though? A mission is probably not the best time to be getting heated up, even if you are back at the cave," Dick said, swallowing his pride.

It tasted worse than Starfire's pizza.

"Very well."

For as exasperating and hardnosed as he was, Dick could not help but respect Bruce, at least generally speaking. They had several conflicting views, mainly dealing with ethics. 'Does the end justify the means?' Bruce teetered dangerously in the criminal direction on a Machiavellian scale. For him, accomplishing the mission was always beyond the importance of anything else. This is also why he felt that relationships were bad. They served to create too much internal conflict to be worth the trouble. You couldn't argue with results, Dick reasoned, and Bruce Wayne excelled at getting results. To his credit, even beyond Gotham and its neighbors, Batman was probably one of the most famed heroes, with the exception of the Man of Steel himself.

Now Dick had thoroughly confused himself. Superman had Lois Lane, so did it really matter after all? Dick might have to call up Clark sometime to pick his brain.

"I'm beginning my descent Boss," Dick offered, licking the Bat's boots extra, hoping a little subtle flattery might smooth over their small debacle.

"Very well, all I really need you to do is investigate the premises. Decide if it's in use or not, then wait. Keep me updated," Bruce finished, handing the reigns over to Dick, at least for the time being.

* * *

Dick decided that he would do an aerial sweep of the property before deciding where to begin his investigation. At first glance, 'the hall' as Bruce had deemed it, seemed to be more of an inordinately large hovel. Brick was cracking all over the house, some areas even looking as though they threatened a collapse. The yards looked no better. Though assuming that the Jackal was the only one living there, this was not terribly surprising. As far as he knew, Bruce didn't keep up on his gardening either. While not particularly pleasant, it was far from being considered overgrown, perhaps just 'unsightly' covered it. Dick also noticed that a great number of roof tile was missing or peeling off, he would have to remember to be careful if he landed. The house seemed to get progressively worse as he continued his circular pattern around towards the back of the house.

As he returned to his original spot, he alighted on a tree branch that overhung the long driveway up to the front of the house, furling his wings for the moment. He now used his magnified vision, again thanks to Cyborg's incredible feat of engineering, to inspect every inch of the front of the house. Even from 100 meters away, he could see the most minute of details. Dick gazed through the window of the second story, noticing the blinds were left slightly open. He tested himself, cranking up the magnification. He could now clearly make out the names on the spines of books on a shelf across the room from the window. All Dick managed to gather from the bookshelf was that whoever owned this house had a sick obsession with Greek mythology. Dick now turned his attention to the furniture. He knew there would be something worth finding in that room, he was just unsure of what it could be.

Similarly to Wayne Manor, the hall had a multitude of rooms and even more windows. Having spent a number of years living in Wayne Manor, Dick knew that some rooms in a house this large could go unused or unvisited for months. It did not seem likely that the blinds would be open if it were an uncommonly used room. Though of course, this all was contingent on the assumption that someone actually lived there. Dick looked over a couch that sat kitty-corner directly to the right of the bookshelf while the open door was on the right. He sighed. Dick did not find what he was looking for there either, but then again, soft goods could be difficult; it was considerably more difficult to pick out evidence of recent use. There were two wooden chairs sitting closer to the window, with their backs to him. Now there was the break he needed, unfortunately he did not have a good view as they had been turned away from him, though judging by one of the chairs armrests, he was on to something.

Finally, he was able to conclude that someone was indeed living in that house. The crystal glass coffee table provided concrete evidence. If the house had been abandoned for 10 years, the gleam from the moon slipping through the blinds and onto the glass furniture would have been considerably more dim due to the layer of dust that would have been accumulating. As far as Dick could tell, there was no dust anywhere he could see on the table, and on something like glass, it would be quite noticeable. After a cursory inspection of the other rooms in the front of the house that Dick could optically invade, he contacted Bruce.

"Nightwing to Papa Bat," he joked, still lamely trying to cover himself for before.

"Not amusing, bird brain," Bruce said flatly, "could I perhaps bother you to report what you found?"

"The house is definitely in use and whoever uses it seems to be quite the socialite."

"Now's not the time for sarcasm Nightwing, details, if you please," Bruce scowled.

"No, I was being serious, the hard surfaced furniture I can get a bead on is all dust-free, the inside is actually kept up quite nicely, and the exterior of the house isn't exactly pretty, but the front of the house appears to be maintained at least to a mediocre degree."

"Interesting. Whoever it is manages the front in order to keep up appearances, I assume," Bruce concluded.

"What's more interesting is that he bothers keeping appearances," Dick mused, "if they were close friends, accomplices, sidekicks or partners, his guests would not care about the state of his yard. These are people he feels he needs to make an impression on."

"While you all have been out doing the legwork, I've been prowling Gotham from the web, and it appears that the house is still active on the cities power grid too, however I can't find any account numbers under the Jackal's old identity"

Bruce silently tapped at his keyboard, roaming classified document after classified document, probing government, banking and business records for any mention of his old friend Jeff Hancock.

Realizing that he was getting nowhere, Bruce simplified his search methods by opening a basic, yet ever effective internet search engine. After entering the name of his old associate, online news articles surrounding his death flooded the screen. Bruce selected one and learned that during a police raid he had been confirmed dead as they searched the Joker's then abandoned hideout near Gotham's docks. According to the 10-year-old article, Jeff's wife and son were still missing, but Bruce knew what happened, it was the Joker, after all.

Bruce had never really learned the truth. He ignored the news as best he could. He already knew the truth, but at the time, only wanted to push it away, knowing that he could have stopped it.

"Batman to Nightwing," Bruce signaled.

"Hold on a sec," came the reply, "a car just rolled up to the house, yellow mustang, classic body but brand new paint."

"I think you should probably get out of there," Bruce suggested, knowing that if this was their friend, it could be trouble.

"Are you kidding me? We're not going to get any more definitive than this," Nightwing persisted.

"Fine. Don't take off and do not talk to me until he enters the house," Bruce relented, knowing that Dick was right. He just hoped it was worth the risk.

Bruce watched the feed through Dick's mask as a man stepped out of the car on the passenger side. Unfortunately, the camera could not zoom in unlike Dick's mask, the camera being an entirely separate mechanism.

The man paused, looking around, coat pulled up. He wandered around facing the driveway for a moment. Dick wondered if he had been drunk. Batman knew better.

"Dick, we've seen his face and his car, time for you to go." Bruce urged, more forcefully this time despite his whispering.

Relax, he's a whole football field a-," at that moment, the man fixed his eyes directly on Nightwing.

"He doesn't need to see you, he'll hear you and smell you," Bruce scowled, noticing the attention that Dick had drawn, "hopefully the distance will still make him unsure of exactly what he heard when he thinks about this later; now get the hell out of there Grayson."

The man had slowly begun a deliberate walk down his driveway, just as Dick was leaping out of the tree in the opposite direction. As he did so, he rotated and tapped the buckle on his belt. The hoot of an owl sounded quite convincingly in the night sky.

Cyborg has included this trinket mostly as a joke, giving him the ability to imitate multiple sounds of a wide variety of nocturnal birds. Despite being a joke, Dick had used the function extensively as a signal and as a diversion to give the listener a reasonable sound to rationalize what they thought they saw or heard.

Dick got his bearings and flew high over the city en route to the batcave.

"Bruce, I think I've got something you're going to like."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N:

Thank you for the two reviews! They definitely help keep the motivation up.

This chapter's a bit longer than the others. This is really the first "A-ha Chapter" as I call them. Things begin to take shape and make sense, sort of. Though we get more answers, I assure you that this only scratches the surface.

Beyond that, we have some subplot going on that adds an interesting aspect to the next chapter. I'll probably get the next bit of story out quickly, as I want to drive towards the development of the story and get through the fluff and filler. Though I do like to think that a bit of that helps develop the characters in between the plot hubs.

Don't forget to review!

* * *

_**Chapter 5**_

Back at the batcave, he found all of his friends had already compiled their evidence and were discussing the night's findings with Bruce.

"I don't care if he doesn't have any superpowers, that dude can kick some serious butt," Beast Boy declared admiringly. Cyborg did not seem impressed.

"I might be able to forgive his fighting style if he didn't have such a lame car," Cyborg smirked, going in for the verbal one-two punch.

As Dick back winged to the ground after emerging from a tunnel designed for the batmobile, his gaze wandered to Starfire. She returned his stare with her beautiful emerald eyes. She looked as if she were readying to run out and meet him, but thought better of it. He was thankful for that, not wanting to create another scene for Bruce.

She looked at him longingly as he cupped his wings to slow his descent. Starfire desperately wished that just for a moment, they were back at home, away from the Batman. Her eyes wandered over his outstretched, muscular arms that revealed full view of chiseled torso. The new suit, despite its light armoring, accented his features amazingly, she thought. The wind his beating wings created pulled his hair back as he lightly touched to the ground in front of her. She certainly appreciated his hair. She had known that at first, he had reservations about allowing it to grow, but he insisted on making this sacrifice for her.

At the time, sacrifice had been an unfamiliar word, only knowing it to be similar to what the warrior people of Tamaran did to show their reverence to X'Hal. She was worried that he was trying to change himself for her, and according to the 'chick flicks' they were supposed to be perfect as they were, without change. He explained that nothing ever ended up how it was in the movies, and that on Earth, a serious relationship required self-sacrifice. He went on to tell her that it was something he did for her because he wanted to do it for her. It _was _him, pleasing his _kicw'a _was what he did, and as with all of his duties, he took this one very seriously.

"Hey," he said softly, "sorry about, before." He then squeezed her in a quick hug, laying his lips on her forehead before quickly disengaging.

"It is okay, my _Winged Knight,_" as she had taken to calling him.

"Speaking of goofy fighting styles…," Cyborg laughed, referencing Dick's chosen martial art as he turned around to face him. "You find anything interesting, what took ya so long?"

"Interesting? I think I might have cracked this whole mess right open," Dick smiled, satisfied with his success while choosing to ignore Cyborg's taunts regarding his eskrima.

"Dude, come on, I thought you said you were gonna stop hogging up all the intrigue, leave some hero for the rest of us," Beast Boy whined, the chip on his shoulder widening. Dick could hardly blame him, in addition to being the youngest, he had also stood in the shadow of the Doom Patrol and its leader, Mento, for quite some time; it almost reminded Dick of himself and Bruce.

"It's okay BB, I have a feeling that there will be plenty mess to clean up," Dick said excitedly as he began uploading the pictures he had taken through his mask to the batcave's mainframe.

The images began to appear on Bruce's large monitor, the clarity, precision and most importantly, the content shocking all in the room except Bruce. Dick had snapped a photo tagging the mustang's rear plate, which Cyborg immediately cross-referenced with his own information. Apparently, Cyborg had a busy night trailing the Jackal from scene to scene. The task had been a tricky one as the Jackal equipped his vehicle with a nanobot-paint finish, which Cyborg explained was similar to the T-car's own tech that allowed it to change its color and paint design between a variety of presets. As a result, the color of the car could not be relied upon to determine a connection. Until Cyborg could match the plates _through_ the nanobot-paint array, nothing would be conclusive. Cyborg then retired to the T-ship to recharge his battery cell while watching film from the camera on the T-car's dash. He explained that he would view the tape through multiple filters attempting to isolate the 'footprint,' as he called it, of the true plate under the nanobot-paint.

Dick had also managed to get an excellent shot of the man's face. Bruce played with the contrast to obtain an image that would be suitable for usage with face recognition technology while Dick pondered the familiarity of the face.

In addition, Dick now uncovered perhaps the most crucial clue, and the piece of evidence he was most proud of. First Dick scrolled to the picture of the mustang as the man was stepping out. Dick had pointed out that he was stepping out of a vehicle that had just been moving, but he was sitting in the passenger side and there was no driver visible in the seat beside him.

"What, you don't have a car that drives itself, Dick?" Batman smirked, making light of the discovery. Dick sighed remembering the batmobile's autopilot function. Dick was quick to point out that the auto piloting car was a secondary observation; the real gold was printed on the receipt on the floor of the car. Bruce now seemed impressed.

The next picture was an ultra-close-up shot of the receipt, listing several drinks as well as small appetizers.

"If you notice, he seems to have bought drinks in pairs and appetizers intermittently, also paying entirely in cash. He doesn't seem to like to have strings attached," Dick smirked. It was starting to make sense now. He was worried about keeping up appearances towards the front of the house because he brought girls back to his place after boozing them up and treating them at the club.

What Dick found odd was that the receipt showed a very clear pattern, you could definitely tell who drank what. The women tended to drink one or more of a variety of wines, rarely anything non-alcoholic, while it appeared that the Jackal, if that's who this man was, never touched any.

"Yes, he seems to be quite the womanizer," Bruce noted, scrolling through hacked security feeds of the club listed on the receipt, He had already spotted him with seven separate girls across four visits. "Oh yes, and his wallet," Bruce concluded now understanding Dick's initial comment. He did not use plastic at all, from what Bruce could see. Bruce figured that it was a tactic to keep out of any official documents, tracing purchases linking him to accounts. Though of course it also made for great showmanship with the ladies.

"Hold up a second Bruce," Dick requested, "see if you can get a clearer image of their beverages." Bruce then did so as Dick's eyes began to light up. Bruce gave him a questioning look. "I'll explain in a minute, try and see if we can get a shot of the drinks for every girl he was with."

Bruce nodded, starting to catch on.

Dick quickly drew up a list, organizing the women by time spent with their target versus alcohol quantity.

"It seems that women who drank more alcohol received most of his attention," Dick concluded.

"You find that surprising?" Bruce chuckled, smirking at Dick's naïveté.

"Well, no, not really, I suppose," Dick admitted, "but he seems to be partial to women who drink red wine, and he never drinks anything alcoholic. He has only been seen leaving with someone who _didn't _drink red on one occasion, and I don't blame him on that one, she was worth the break in the pattern," Dick said smirking. Starfire winced, somewhere in the background.

"Okay, so he's a romantic womanizer, I don't see what you're getting at," Bruce said, beginning to feel that he was wasting time.

"I don't really get it either, but if there _is _something shady about this guy, I guarantee it's related to the red wine," Dick confessed, "you know as well as I do, criminals always have their calling card, their mark; they're creatures of habit."

To this, Bruce had to agree, even non-criminals like Dick and himself had certain defining signatures, Bruce made a note and turned back to his monitor.

"So, what can you tell us about 'Silkie's', Bruce?" Dick inquired getting back to a relevant topic, chuckling as he was reminded of Starfire's large pet caterpillar back at home.

Bruce knew enough about it, as he was a frequent patron when masquerading as Bruce Wayne the bachelor. That was always something that irked him. For Dick, the masquerade began when he put on his suit, for Bruce, it began when he took it off. He _was _the Batman, and Bruce Wayne was simply a character he had dressed up as in order to cover his true identity.

"Silkie's is an upscale club on Gotham's Upper East Side. It's quite nice, very Mediterranean, but as with any club, it presents different… characters… not unique to any particular income bracket," Bruce alluded.

* * *

Starfire giggled, seemingly to herself. She couldn't help but laugh as the two men discussed this sophisticated nightclub; the name 'Silkie's' had simply been too much. Imagine her pet caterpillar as a restaurant owner!

Dick and Bruce, their conversation interrupted by soft laughter, both turned their heads towards Starfire.

"I am sorry, did I distract you?" Starfire mumbled, "I shall cease the giggles," suddenly self-conscious.

"Well, you seem to have a way of distracting Dick," Bruce laughed, his eyes glinting as he hatched a plan, "but your laughter has given me an idea." Even as he said it, Dick could see the gears turning within Bruce's head and the flash in his eyes, unsure of what the outcome would be.

"I think you can help us enormously, Princess," Bruce smiled, Dick suddenly catching onto where Bruce was going. He didn't like it, but he had to admit, it was a good idea, and he couldn't reasonably refute it, but he would try.

"You do? I am so very happy to hear that I can be of assistance," Starfire said gleefully, leaving the ground slightly. Starfire was overjoyed, buoyed by her hope of impressing Richard. She felt very good that she could bring something unique to the group.

"What is it you propose, Bruce?" Dick started, treading lightly.

"We know that our target is a ladies man," Bruce started slowly, Starfire's joy starting to leak out as she began to understand.

"I see what you're saying Bruce, and it's a good idea, but why not send Raven?"

Starfire was still upset that the Batman would try to give her to another man, but she was very glad that Richard stood by her.

Raven shrugged, knowing that she could probably do a better job of discreetly gathering information, but Starfire certainly held an advantage when it came to ensnaring. At that point, her form of information extraction would be entirely different. Beast Boy's eyebrows now betrayed his disgust. He knew Dick had a thing with Star, but he couldn't just exchange girls like they were some kind of videogame rental!

"I can look into people's minds, I'll probably be a lot more thorough, assuming I get his attention," Raven chimed in, attempting to rescue Starfire.

"I assure, you all, Starfire is the most logical choice, I have a plan that will utilize all of your talents in their own way," Bruce said logically, meaning business. "I think Starfire would be most suited to capturing our targets attention," he smirked.

"Yah I don't really do 'social' well," Raven submitted as she frowned in Dick's direction.

Bruce began outlining his plan. They would have Starfire attend the club with Beast Boy following her around as an insect, while Raven remained with Starfire. Raven had produced a stunning piece of jewelry that she said she could store her consciousness in, almost like a djinni in a lamp. Starfire would wear Raven around her neck so that she could work as a second set of eyes and attempt to read the target. Cyborg would remotely drive the T-car, since Starfire couldn't drive. Their goal was to gather as much information about the man as they possibly could. Anything and everything was fair game. If they managed to make it back to the Jackal's place, Raven would mind-read, Beast Boy would roam the house, Cyborg would use the miniature T-car to slice a computer and root around in the house's mainframe while Starfire did things the old-fashioned way. Batman would monitor things from the batcave and Dick would stay with him until there was a need for him.

Dick decided the plan was for the best, though he did not like sitting out. He nodded in agreement, as did the others. Starfire did not agree, but she was overruled, she felt betrayed. When asked for her opinion, she simply bobbed her head softly, not trusting herself to do more.

"I think that Starfire will be perfect for this assignment actually," Dick mentioned absently, as if it were still in question. "I can't imagine he will be able to resist her," he finished. He had noticed her downcast look before and was looking to give her the encouragement she needed.

At hearing this, Starfire's heart had broken. Richard wanted to give her away now too! She trembled in dismay as a torrent of emotions raged within her; she could not believe that after this glorious year of togetherness that he was not only willing to let her go, but also that he would so readily dump her off on another man as well. She remembered what they had said about him being a 'ladies man.' Surely, she deserved more than that. Richard had been so much more, even if he wished to part ways with her, surely he wanted better for her. She felt the warmth of her tears as they tumbled lightly over her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it Star, you're gonna make a man very happy," Dick laughed, his back to her, failing to notice her tears, "at least until I can -," he had been cut off by her soft trembling voice.

"I thought that I already had," a soft, downcast whisper crossed her lips. She turned to leave, unable to summon forth the will to fly; she evacuated the room as quickly as her legs could carry her, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Well done, _Dick_… Jackass," Raven muttered as she ran after her. Dick felt his stomach wrench itself into a knot.

"Yikes, remind me to avoid pimp jokes," Beast Boy laughed awkwardly, vainly attempting to lighten the mood. His humor unappreciated, Beast Boy realized he was now in a lion's den. He quickly scampered off towards the T-ship in search of Cyborg.

"She loves you doesn't she, Dick?"

Dick nodded imperceptibly. Bruce was the last person on Earth he wanted to talk to about his love life.

"I realize that this probably isn't a good time, but you know this is going to foul up the mission considerably, right?" Bruce said evenly, insensitive as always. "Love has no place in a hero's heart."

Dick glared at him fiercely from under his mask, still silent.

"Dick, let's not go there again… You know that the mis-."

"Is that all that matters to you?" Dick sneered, breaking his silence at last. "What _makes_ our missions, your _livelihood_, worth it if not love? Why else do we fight?"

"Dick…"

"No, don't you even -,"

"Richard…"

"I will not accept that you -,"

"Robin."

That shut him up. He hadn't been called that in a year. The last person to call him by that name had been Starfire as they closed the case on his old uniform. His mind rushed back, remembering all of the little things. It was the little things that made him tingle. He was used to Starfire's immense beauty; he was even used to her affection. The smallest demonstrations of their feelings, even innocent memories, just being her best friend, it washed over him, empowering him, but at the same time, sapping him of his newfound strength as he realized what he had just done.

"You need to do what you feel is best," Bruce began, "go make peace with her and yourself, I have no choice but to accept your actions."

That didn't mean he was going to like them, Dick thought to himself. At least he was allowing him to make his own choice.

"But if you truly love her in return, you will let her go."

* * *

"Starfire!" Raven called out, flying up to the guest wing, skipping the stairs entirely. "Starfire!" she repeated, "open this door, I can help," Raven yelled again, concern now showing in her voice. "If you don't open up, I will phase right through this door. I would prefer to be invited in rather than be forced to invade your privacy," Raven warned with finality.

That's it, she thought.

Raven phased through the door, looking on with horror as she saw Starfire sprawled across the floor, face down in a pillow. Surely she would've felt if… Just then Starfire began to sit up, pillow still plastered to her face. Raven's worst fears allayed, allowed herself to recollect as she took Starfire and set her on the bed.

"Why does he say such things, friend Raven?" Starfire sobbed dismally.

"Boys are stupid. Yours just happens to be of the _exceedingly_ stupid variety," Raven assured. Starfire visibly winced from under her pillow. "Don't worry, in this case, that's a good thing," Raven quickly reassured accidentally allowing her abrasion to come back as a result of her 'collectedness.' Calm Raven, not insensitive, calm, she began thinking to herself.

"Do explain, please."

"Well, most stupid boys don't know what they want, and hurt girls while trying to figure it out," Raven told her, realizing that she had been describing Robin.

"He has done that to me as well, no?" Starfire murmured, her voice evening out slightly.

"No, _Robin_ did that to you. Dic…," Raven forgot herself for a moment, "Richard," she corrected, "has grown up. Sort of."

"It is quite all right, friend Raven, I am finding that 'Dick' is a much more fitting name," Starfire sighed, wishing it were not so. Raven couldn't help but laugh a little at Starfire's double entendre. She thought that might have been the first time she heard Starfire consciously insinuate anything negative about someone using any sort of questionable language that was not Tamaranean.

"Richard is different because he knows what he wants, but he occasionally slips," Raven finished, "That's _real_ stupid, he knows his feelings for you are there, but he expresses them the wrong way." Raven's eyes lit up, finding the perfect evidence for his good intentions. "You know, Starfire, he's growing out his hair for you and your culture, such a radical change of image must mean something, if that doesn't show his devotion I don't know what does."

"He also allowed his hair to grow in an alternate universe in which I did not exist," she reminded Raven, thrashing her proof. "I would very much like to believe you, but I am yet unsure," she paused carefully, "though it may not look like it, Richard and I stand on…" Starfire paused again, searching for the expression, "…slim water that is also frozen."

What? This was certainly news to Raven.

"What do you mean? Does this happen often?" Raven was now intrigued and became even more worried for her friends.

"No, not exactly," Starfire began, "in Earth culture, I imagine that we look like any other normal couple."

Raven nodded in agreement, hoping it would be comforting.

"However, in a Tamaranean's eyes, we are quite… irregular. We have been doing the dating for an entire Earth year and yet we are still _bumgorfs _in the eyes of love." Starfire sighed before continuing, "There is always time to fight the crime and hunt Slade, but never time to hunt the love."

"Have you told Richard that you're concerned with the pace you guys are taking?" Raven asked, starting to understand.

Even by Earth standards, they _were _somewhat slow. As far as Raven knew, now that she thought about it, their love was purely platonic, most Earth couples explored beyond the realms of closed mouth kisses and holding hands much sooner. Raven never really pried into their love life, Starfire would talk to her occasionally, but it was mostly about how great things were, not about the negatives. They may be slow, but it _is _a first for both of them. Neither had ever had a girlfriend or boyfriend before, and a year was actually quite a long time for a young Earth couple, but a year was not long at all when put next to real, committed relationships; those that were in it for the long haul.

"You know Starfire, a year is a relatively short amount of time for a serious couple, at least by Earth standards," Raven offered, "and believe me, you both make an exceptional couple. You are both each other's first experiences with love, you are both still learning," Raven continued, her reassurance growing stronger, she had gotten the ball rolling and was going to ride this one out. "Most young Earth couples, especially first-timers, don't make it as far as you have," Raven said. All of this emotional, heartfelt discussion was starting to make her a bit dizzy. She needed to get Starfire back on her feet fast; Raven wasn't sure how much longer she would last on her _own_ feet.

"I am glad that you think so, friend Raven," Starfire sighed, beginning to feel reassured.

"I know so Starfire," Raven half laughed, she was laying it on thick now. "I know you are concerned about the speed that you guys are going, and maybe you guys do need to step it up a notch, but the fact that you both have made it so long without much more than puppy love is amazing," She concluded. "Not to mention the lack of sex." One of Raven's eyes bugged out as she said the word.

"I am afraid that I do not understand," Starfire began uncertainly, "are not all Earth couplings male and female, what does our sex have to do with it?"

"Not exactly Starfire," Raven winced. That took an unexpected turn.

"How else do you mate then, friend Raven?"

"There is more involved in love than mating Starfire," smiling at the young alien's naïveté. Naturally, her mind, clinical as it was, would not quickly grasp the reasoning. Starfire gasped, thinking she had caught on.

"Do you wish to -," Starfire cut off, unable to finish her thought due to Raven's timely interruption.

"Um, no," Raven said rather flatly, thankful her empathic abilities had allowed her to dodge that question. "Anyway, 'sex' is short for… umm," Raven began, not knowing how to finish her thought.

"Ohhh, the _intercourse_," Starfire announced, reddening slightly. She had often allowed herself to fantasize, her sadness now mixing with the happiness she felt from those memories.

"Is this what love feels like, friend Raven?" Starfire asked, "Happiness mixed up with sadness?"

Raven laughed softly again, "I wouldn't know Starfire, but they always said that 'the course of true love never did run smooth' you know," Raven half smiled.

"Such beautiful words!" Starfire, then realizing the extent of what Raven had said, continued, "But I must ask, who are the '_they_,' this matter has troubled me considerably."

Raven withdrew a large book from the folds of her cloak, holding it up for Starfire to read to herself.

"Will-I-am," Starfire froze, not even attempting to read the next word. She could scarcely believe that she had been able to think through her love problems _and _unmask the elusive 'they' all in one night. "Will-I-am," she repeated in awe, "what a… interesting… name," she pondered.

"It's pronounced 'William', Starfire," Raven scowled, not appreciating her accidental allusion to the Black Eyed Peas.

"Oh, of course," Starfire giggled, beginning to change into her nightclothes.

Not realizing until now that Starfire went commando under her nightdress, Raven decided she had seen more than enough of Starfire for her liking. She returned her book to its place and then floated to the door. As she reached for the doorknob, she hesitated, laughed, and withdrew her hand.

"Starfire, you have company… look alive…uh, girl," Raven gagged, offering encouragement one final time. She would have to request an extra bar of soap from Alfred, as she planned on eating the one she currently possessed in an attempt to cleanse her mouth of the words she had just uttered.

Just as she had uttered those horrible words, a soft knock came at the door followed by Dick's wavering voice.

"Star, may I come in?"

Raven looked back at Starfire before opening the door. Starfire nodded to Raven, who then emerged, and took Dick by the ear.

"She's all yours… You can thank me later," Raven shrugged in her signature monotone, already feeling better. Dick then reached for the doorknob and began to turn it as Starfire called out to him.

"Please wait a few moments, dearest Richard," she began half cheerily, "I fear that my room is quite messy."

Dick found himself deeply comforted by her response. He was sure that they would be able to resolve their problems, but he owed Raven _big _time. He sat down, back to the door, allowing his full weight to rest on it while peeling back his mask as he began to massage his tiring eyes.

While Starfire had not wholly lied, it was not her lack of tidiness she was concerned with. She did clean up her room though. She was not an untidy person at all; the mess that she referred to was largely a result of her torrential emotions as she had returned to her room. She lit the few scented candles that she always kept with her when traveling and quickly tucked her bed, fluffed the pillows, while making it up properly. She then carefully un-tucked a corner, and swept it across the bed allowing it to settle just so, allowing the bed to appear as if it were inviting the observer.

She was ready. Bolstered by Raven's confidence, she floated lightly to the door in attempt to surprise Richard, not allowing her footfalls to betray her.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N:

This one ran kind of long in comparison to the others, but I tried to put some good substance behind this chapter despite it being mostly subplot. In addition to fluff, we get a good look at what goes on in Raven's head. While it's not much for forward plot movement, I think it does an okay job of delving into the characters a little bit more, which in turn, advances the subplot.

I scour these Chapters two or three times at several points in the process, and then again before uploading, for typos. I hope those that surely exist are quite minor, however I will mention, there is one intentional typo in this chapter. Consider it a stylistic choice. :P kudos if you catch it.

Sort of Disclaimer: This story is rated M for reasons that will only start to be revealed now. To be honest, this chapter probably wouldn't get an M rating all by itself, as it is quite tame, but just a heads up.

**Real Disclaimer (haven't done this in awhile, figured I better do it again.): I do not own Teen Titans or any other DC Universe content mentioned in this FANfic. **

I almost forgot, thank you for the new review! That certainly means a lot, definitely keeps me motivated!

* * *

_**Chapter 6**_

The door swung open quickly and unexpectedly, arousing Dick from his contented snoozing. He opened his eyes, dazed from the blow to the back of his head. He realized he must have fallen backwards as he now had an excellent view directly up Starfire's nightdress as she stood at the door. Now completely awake, he gushed profusely as he saw star's.

That escalated quickly, he thought.

He slid uncomfortably from between Starfire's legs as she quickly bent over to help him up, cradling his head against her.

"Richard! Are you harmed?"

Now quite thankful that she preferred 'Richard' to 'Dick', he assured her he was better than fine as he inspected the atmosphere of her room. Better than fine indeed.

They sat down on the edge of her bed, her tiny hands holding one of his as she always did when they were discussing something important. She explained everything that Raven had explained to her to the best of her abilities.

"I hope you know that I only said those things earlier because I wanted you to be secure in your task, knowing that I supported you," he whispered through the fiery vale of her hair. He breathed deeply, basking in her sweet aroma.

She said nothing. Her hand had moved behind her, coming to rest on his cheek, running her hand along his light, yet satisfyingly prickly stubble. He kissed her behind her ear, allowing his tongue to graze its ridge softly, electrifying her nerves.

"I never meant that I was ready to give you up. That is something I'll never be ready for," he paused, "_I know you will make me proud tomorrow_." She loved it when he spoke to her in her native tongue.

"Richard, I appreciate your reverence of my culture and respect for my people," she began slowly, "I hope that is something that you never lose." She turned her head to fit it softly to the crook of his neck, tucking her forehead just beneath his chin. "However, since we are on Earth, I want to be an Earth couple," she finally admitted, "I will continue to teach you anything you wish to know. I would also be quite pleased if you continued to grow your hair," she giggled girlishly.

"You don't want to follow the ordinances of Tamaranean courtship?" he asked, slightly perplexed. He didn't particularly mind, he just wanted to do whatever it was they decided on, and do it right. That was whatever Starfire wanted to do. He smirked, knowing how whipped he must sound.

"I do not," she answered, remaining tucked to his chest in silence.

"Then we won't," he breathed. She felt his heartbeat and the rise and fall of his chest as he inhaled and exhaled. "We will still wait, I assume," Dick half questioned and half requested.

"I feel that is most prudent," she agreed, "for now," she laughed, blushing in the darkness.

After a few more moments of silence, she turned to cast her emerald eyes afloat in his pools of radiant blue.

"Richard," she smiled coyly, "though I find your uniform extremely attractive, I think it would look much better on the floor." Dick laughed as he stood, his hands reaching for his belt. He felt them instead being grasped by Starfire's, only to be pushed gently back to his sides.

Starfire began to unhook his utility belt, draping it over her bedpost. She then carefully removed his gloves, sliding them across the floor towards the corner. Carefully, her hands walked their way up his thighs and over his waist, finding the separation in his tunic. She slipped her arms between his uniform and his body, up to her forearms, before beginning to remove the uniform. He had already removed his boots, allowing her to proceed to the removal of his form fitting pants.

"I like it better already," she decided, glancing at his uniform balled up in the corner.

Now that she had a better view than she had ever had before, she took time to admire his features. She loved that he had grown so much yet retained a lean, muscular look. He permitted her hands to wander his trunk, running over his abdominals. Brimming with excitement, Starfire planted several of her kisses on his stomach as he pulled her to him.

Quickly, her hands again found his, pulling Richard, clad only in his compression shorts, down onto the bed with her. She wanted to do new things; she remembered Raven's words about stepping on notches. That was exactly what she felt she was doing.

Richard placed his hands on either side of Starfire as he held himself up, careful not to place his weight on her. He slowly leaned over to place his lips on her forehead, her nose, finally coming to rest on her chin. He hid his face in her neck, deliberately breathing deeply as he kissed her exposed skin while she giggled softly.

Starfire was beginning to grow impatient, even though she knew that is exactly what Richard wanted. She sat submissively for the time being, while her fingers combed through his hair. As he nibbled on the skin where her neck met her shoulder, she had decided she had enough. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed slightly, while moving to roll over on top of him.

Finding her maneuver successful, Starfire allowed all of her weight to rest on him, which wasn't much. She placed her right hand over his heart, feeling its beat in her palm, while cradling his head in her left hand. Leaning into him, she firmly pressed her lips to his own.

Blood rushed and hormones raged, surging through Richard's body. He always struggled, but not like this, but then they had never played quite like this before either. Their kiss quickly developed a mind of its own, breaking into a deep, passionate exchange, igniting a flame that threatened to weld them together.

He felt her need for air as her shapely breasts heaved against his chest. As she began to lock her legs around his midsection, straddling him, Richard realized that he too, had lost his breath. She released his mouth, smiling, as she rested her forehead on his own.

Regaining her composure, she sucked lightly on his lower lip. Richard's toes curled in satisfaction as she now began to bite down softly, allowing her to pull his lips slowly apart in the process. Starfire took advantage of this literal opening as she caught him in an open-mouthed kiss. Surprised by this wonderful new sensation, Starfire moaned softly into his mouth. Richard continued to push the envelope, exploring her mouth with his tongue.

What was he doing? He wildly thought to himself struggling to find answers. He decided that he would need to work on this particular strategy involving his tongue. Somehow, he felt that 'pushing the envelope' was not quite as apt a term, determining that 'sealing the envelope' may have been a more accurate description.

Her vocalizations became too much for him; he replaced his right hand from its spot on her arched back and slid it down the length of her body. Starfire gasped for air yet again, showing her appreciation aloud for the first time as Richard's hand massaged her thigh. She cringed with ecstasy as she took his tongue in her mouth yet again just as Richard's hand, seemingly on the return trip, stopped on her bottom, under her nightdress. Squeezing lightly, Richard invited even more aroused whimpers as he pushed her into his hips. Starfire squeaked as she felt a strange warmness finding a home against her thigh.

Fearing a loss of control was imminent; Richard finished their kiss and then sat up, Starfire now in his lap, holding him in a tight embrace.

"Wow." That was about all he could manage right now.

"I find you most pleasurable as well, Richard," Starfire announced, seldom at a loss for words.

That had been incredible. They had advanced so quickly, a year's worth of pent up emotion now oozing from their every pore. While he was extremely happy that they had broken out of their romantic stagnation, Richard knew that there was a line that remained unready to be crossed.

"It's late," Richard stumbled, now noticing that the clock read 3:12. "We should probably try and get some sleep," he groaned, standing up while covertly waist-banding his excitement.

Reluctantly, Richard hobbled through the darkness towards the closed door, risking only one look back over his shoulder. Gazing at the empty side of the double bed, he found himself wishing for something that he didn't know that he was ready for. Starfire, noticing his longing look, sat up to return his wanting stare.

"Would you like to stay with me tonight?" she began coyly. What could one night hurt? Silence filled the room. "I would most certainly enjoy your companionship, Richard," she reassured.

"What's one night?" he repeated, this time aloud.

Starfire clapped her hands together in excitement as he climbed into her bed. Richard settled on his side with his knees curled slightly, as he always did, just as Starfire changed her position to fit snugly within him underneath the sheets.

He put his arms around her waist just before kissing her goodnight, ushering them both into a contented sleep.

* * *

Raven often woke with the dawn, even after late nights like the one prior. She began early morning meditation as she always did, shortly after dressing in her black leotard and blue robe. Dark energy enveloped her cowl and pulled it over her head.

Not long into her meditation, she began to feel a slight disturbance in the balance. She searched her mind, emptying the unnecessary, extraneous thoughts while sorting through relevant information, attempting to root out the source of the extra-sensory quaking. She suddenly remembered Starfire's grieving. Now that she had remembered that event, she was certain that the mysterious energies were merely residual, fragmented pieces of her sorrow cast about by the spiritual wind on which all emotion flew. She figured she should quickly check, just to be sure that Starfire was all right.

Raven phased herself, only allowing her face to pass through the wall to peek into the adjacent room. As her eyes glimpsed the scene that lay before her, Raven allowed herself to be mildly surprised, not wholly disbelieving, but surprised nonetheless. Vertigo took hold as she looked towards the bed. Perhaps it had not been sorrow at all, Raven discovered. This strange energy emanated from the couple, still cradling each other in sleep, so strongly that Raven could practically see it in the air. Could it be _love_? She returned to her meditations, pondering the subject.

Starfire sure did bounce back quickly. Not even an hour after her meltdown, she was already sleeping with him.

Wait. She was sleeping with him! Full understanding now washed over Raven. Apparently, Starfire had taken what she had said about them needing to step it up to heart. Raven felt an awkward sort of pride surface within her, realizing that she had played an instrumental part in whatever was now oozing grossly out of their room.

Raven began considering the circumstances, not really finding her conclusions surprising. Just extremely unrelatable.

As an empath, she cleanses herself of emotion, scouring it at all times. Self-control and restraint present in all thoughts. A true empath, as the name implies, does not have any emotion of its own, it instead feels the emotions of others. Though not a true empath, she was close, having been trained by the best.

Raven was largely a stranger to emotion. She did not allow herself to feel often, and when she did, it was brief. She understood other people's emotions quite well, but never her own, as she could not be exposed to her own. Exposure from others was ever-present, she never found herself in an emotionless void, because she _was _the emotionless void.

The monks of Azarath had taught her that all people had _depth_. The difference from person to person, was the extent.

Raven often thought on this, and always decided that she was a wishing well. She was deep, as most wells were. She was also hollow. She had nothing until someone gave her something. A wishing well needed someone to share a wish, or else it too, would be hollow. Therefore, Raven went along, accepting people's hopes, hates, loves and losses, sharing in a bit of that person's soul, not unlike a wishing well.

Her teammates often teased her gently about being such a bookworm. Raven never really let it bother her, knowing that they couldn't understand the way she could. Literally. She read because she needed to feel; reading was as close as she got without thinking that she was abducting and cannibalizing someone else's property. That's why she had 'fallen in love' with Shakespeare.

Realizing she began to fall into the same familiar pattern she always did while pondering her emotions; she turned to something new, yet entirely relevant. Starfire.

Raven had likened herself to a wishing well, but she found Starfire similar to a mine.

Starfire was the mirror opposite of Raven. Despite her bubbly personality and everlasting innocence, she was far from shallow. It was exactly the same trait that might lead someone to think her shallow that steered Raven away from that conclusion. Her naïveté was genuine. False innocence was shallow, simple ignorance was not. She was an _alien_. She didn't understand so many things that seemed second nature, but at this point, no one doubted that.

Starfire, Raven figured, had about as much genuine emotional depth as she herself did. In fact, she found it safe to assume that her entire race was like that, based off of what she knew about how their abilities worked. Mines, like wells, were often deep. Mines, unlike wells, did not need someone else to make them full; mines had their own treasures.

Similarly to wells, mines were nothing without another person. Starfire was no exception. She was overflowing with precious stones and hidden gems that would ultimately mean nothing unless she had someone to share them with. Perhaps the most important feature to recognize was the omnipresent threat of collapse.

Raven now meditated in a third direction. Dick had always struck her as a kiddy pool. Dick was simple, like most boys. You could clearly see the bottom, there was nothing particularly complicated. If he had any more emotion, he probably would drown. His emotions were quite simple and he accepted them. The only thing holding him back, as far as she could tell, was Bruce. The one bit of intrigue was that while he clearly accepted his emotions, it wasn't until last night... erm… this morning, she reminded herself, that he had acted on them. Acceptance and action were two different things, and not things that she really cared to think about. Dick was not one to show his emotions, as Starfire was. Dick had never worn his heart on his sleeve, perhaps if only because there was simply not enough heart to wear.

Raven winced. Even in her head that sounded harsh. Maybe she didn't give him quite enough credit.

Dick had a heart, she conceded. However, he couldn't wear it as he had already given it to Starfire, and everyone knew it. There was nothing left to wear around; two and a half feet of water didn't hold very much.

* * *

Dick began to stir, he was in an awkward half-awake state where he knew he needed to get up, but his body just simply refused to listen. Last night had been a late one, he thought, not yet having the presence of mind to realize just what it was that had kept him up so long.

He cracked an eyelid, and suddenly realized that he was with Starfire in her bed. How could he have forgotten a thing like that? His eyes flashed open as he shook off his slumber, startling her. Dick glanced over at the clock and sighed with relief. It was only 8:30, Alfred never had breakfast ready until 9:00 at the earliest. Hopefully, he would not make any appearances until that time.

"Is everything all right, dearest Richard?" Starfire questioned. She had been awake for about 20 minutes, content to lie in his arms.

"Yeah, I'm great, I just forgot where I was for a second," he laughed as he put his hand across her firm stomach before laying back down.

Just as he had relaxed again, a knock came at the door followed by an awkward warble from Alfred. Dick, now feeling quite small, opened the door slowly, trying his best to hide himself behind the door without being too obvious.

"Good morning Master Dick," he began, still quite embarrassed, "I thought that you might like to know that breakfast will be served at 9:00." Alfred paused, as if he had more to say before quickly managing to explain that Dick's door had been left open and his room vacant. Upon noticing this, Alfred had hurried to collect some clothing for him and delivered it here, knowing where he was likely to be found.

As he had finished, Starfire had peeked around from behind Dick to express their joint gratitude.

"How very kind and thoughtful of you, friend Alfred!"

"Good morning Princess, but really, umm, don't mention it. I trust you had a good, uh… Sleep?" Alfred mumbled, almost questioningly. After she had nodded in thorough agreement, a quite flabbergasted Alfred closed the door and walked away trying to decide where he went wrong… Or right.

Starfire now stood against the light spilling in from the window as she gathered her own outfit for the day. Dick couldn't help but notice how angelic she looked as the light danced over her, silhouetting her body against the thin, summer nightdress.

Noticing his looks, as she always did, she began to float lightly. She looked over to him, clothes now in hand.

"Would you like to do the showering first?" she smiled, "or perhaps you would prefer that we clean together?"

"Uh, as much as I hate to say it," he spoke, getting weak in the knees, "I think it would be best if we showered separately, otherwise we might not make it to breakfast on time, you go ahead."

She laughed, and took his invitation while walking into the bathroom. He was well aware of the fact that she did not close the door. He sat and waited, staring directly at the opposite wall the entire length of shower. He felt like a little kid afraid to look but definitely knowing that he wanted to. As her shower ended, he continued to wait until she had dried herself, then hearing her footfalls leave the bathroom, slowly turned around.

He still gawked at what he saw, but it could have been a whole lot more embarrassing. She skipped past him in her underwear, her flesh jiggling enticingly as she allowed him his turn in the bathroom.

As Dick stepped out of the shower, he found that his clothes had been left on the bedside when he had gotten up to take his turn. In his awkward rush to the bathroom, he had forgotten them. He called out to Starfire, who was more than obliged to fetch his clothes for him.

Dick liked the changes, he knew that much, he just felt like it was maybe a bit too much, too quickly. He started to feel a bit awkward; she was moving way too fast. He ultimately wanted to end up where they were at now, and continue to grow beyond that as a couple, but it had only been hours ago that their relationship was taken to dizzying new heights. It was getting kind of ridiculous. He decided he would not talk to her about it just yet, if at all. Dick new that in time, he would learn to be okay with it, he could roll with some punches if it was going to make her happy.

* * *

The Titans leisurely finished breakfast as Cyborg, Dick and Bruce talked sports. Raven was engrossed in one of her usual books while Beast Boy became bored with listening to a conversation he had no understanding of, and so began to drift back into a pseudo sleep. Starfire also attempted to mentally keep up with the boys, but found that sports jargon was even less friendly than normal Earth speech.

As they all finished breakfast, Cyborg announced that his analysis of the license plates was now complete and that they had a match. Damning though it was, Dick and Bruce agreed, to the rest of the team's delight, that they would go through with the plan. They still had questions as to the Jackal's intentions and mental stability. Tonight's mission was designed to put the rest of those pieces together.

"If our next mission isn't until late tonight, what should we do until then?" Cyborg asked, hoping it involved relaxation.

"Well, I don't see any reason to tire you all after last night's escapades," Bruce smiled, his eyes rolling finding Dick with a toothy grin on his face. "You are all visitors to Gotham after all, go have fun. Also, all of Wayne Manor and the Batcave's facilities are at your disposal."

"Oh friend Raven!" Starfire began as she dragged her friend down the hall and up the stairs again. Raven shrugged, thinking she knew where this was going.

"We must venture forth to the mall of shopping; I fear I have nothing appropriate for the clubbing." Yep, Raven had known exactly where this was going. Downhill.

"Are you sure that you don't want Dick to go with you instead?" Raven failed in her attempt at persuasion, as she was already being hauled off while Starfire got her bag. Try as she might, Raven knew that resistance was futile.

"I think that he is needing the personal space," Starfire supplied, "in addition, I am sure that he will want to do some of the working out. He does that when he is needing to think."

"Why do you think that he needs space? Didn't you guys just sleep together?" Raven was somewhat confused. Maybe Dick hadn't wanted to sleep with her.

Raven quickly decided that hypothesis was absolutely ridiculous.

"That is why I think he will want time to himself," Starfire replied, "I think it was a big step to take, but I am glad that we took it. He does not know, but I have noticed that he is acting quite strange since this morning, I think that he needs to think about our actions and decide whether or not he wants to continue them or step back for now."

"But you're saying that he needed to experience the actions before he knew what he thought about them," Raven more stated than asked. Suddenly this made sense. Starfire had emotionally out thought her in her handling of Richard, wow. Raven had to continually remind herself that Starfire was not stupid, just ignorant to many Earth ways, but love was something that was fairly universal.

You know, unless your father happens to be a demonic rapist from another dimension.

"Precisely," Starfire smiled.

Well it couldn't be all bad; maybe she could get Starfire to dish on some of the details, if Raven decided she wanted them.

Starfire, her bag now in her possession, hauled it and Raven back down the stairs and out the front door just after saying a cheery goodbye to the boys who were still in the dining room.

Dick watched them go, laughing to himself as Raven had transmitted the thoughts 'you owe me _again_' just before she had been ripped from the house.

* * *

Bruce struck up conversation by asking Cyborg about his craftsmanship involved in designing the Nightwing suit. Cyborg, never one to be too humble, surprisingly admitted that most of the concepts and designs were actually Dick's, Cyborg just made it all work. Bruce then turned to Dick.

"You wouldn't mind if I ran some diagnostics on it would you? It seems very similar to the concept I'm going for with my next generation suit, I'm just having some trouble working out some of the finer engineering," Bruce asked him.

"Sure, no problem at all," Dick replied, quickly fetching it from upstairs, still balled in the corner of Starfire's room.

"Batman 'Next Gen', huh?" Beast Boy started. Even he himself was unsure of exactly where this was going.

"That's the name of the prototype so far," Bruce confirmed, "with the way the government and private sector has backed off on this type of technology, a little help from Cyborg and some inspiration from the Nightwing design will make the suit cutting edge for the next 50 years."

"Hmm… Next Gen," Beast Boy repeated, "sounds a little too comic bookish or Star Trek-like for me." Silence filled the room.

"I've got it!" Beast Boy announced. "You should call it…" Beast Boy now paused for effect, "Batman Beyond!"

"Beyond _what_?!" Cyborg cried. "Now it sounds like an animated TV show!"

Dick roared with laughter, Cyborg following suit. Bruce stood thoughtfully, nodding somewhat.

"I'll have to remember that, it's… catchy," Bruce conceded.

"Finally! Someone understands me!" Beast Boy scowled throwing his hands up in the air as he walked downstairs to the game station in the batcave.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N:

Okay, so this chapter is similar to the last in that it deals mostly in subplot, I really dislike having to pace the story and throw in the 'in-betweens' of the good parts, but I do my best to make it relevant.

In this chapter we see some clear definition of what the climax of Subplot One is going to look like. I'll admit, it is kind of strange how the idea is brought about (especially considering who makes the point). However, I assure you, not all is as it might appear.

My other goal beyond laying the foundation for the RobStar subplot, was to kind of make the characters a little more human/relatable. Cyborg and Beast Boy were already there, but Starfire and Raven haven't had a chance to kind of do their own thing. And we all know Dick isn't human, he's a crazy workaholic monster.

In addition, we get a bit more detail on what exactly Dick does with the sticks.

Next chapter, we get full on big, heavy main-plot development. Because this chapter is so... light... I will be posting the next one in about 9 hours (12 am pacific standard time) to start off the new day.

Do enjoy, please review! I appreciate those that have already... Jenny868 - Starfire may or may not be in trouble, possibly.

_**I do not currently own the Teen Titans or the DC Universe. (Or else New 52 wouldn't have happened...)**_

* * *

_**Chapter 7**_

"My only demand is that we spend some time in the bookstore, okay?"

"Oh of course, friend Raven," Starfire agreed gleefully, "perhaps you can show me more of the Will-I-am?"

"Sure." Raven's head drooped in disgust.

Their first stop was a store that carried clothes specifically designed with girls their age in mind. Starfire, dead set on finding the perfect dress, tried on every pink and purple garment the store owned. Or at least that's what it felt like. Raven even decided that she had found something she liked. Raven's decision didn't take very long, as she was not particular about this sort of thing. Though of course, Raven wasn't why they were there, that didn't fix Starfire's quest. Suddenly, after witnessing two girls in the dressing rooms with a similar predicament, Raven had discovered that giving Starfire her opinion would probably expedite the process considerably.

Raven employed her placatory approach, throwing canned encouragement at Starfire, except for when Raven genuinely didn't think the particular dress was a good idea.

Starfire stepped out of the dressing room yet again, looking to her friend for a second opinion.

"How do you think it looks, friend Raven?"

* * *

Dick began his routine workout just as the girls had left for the mall. A look of deep thought was on his face as he nailed swinging, ducking and strafing targets with practice Birdarangs.

He thought about the night before. He had no clue where to start, other than that he knew he liked it. As much as he liked it, if that became normal for them, he was going to have some serious problems controlling himself. Maybe Bruce had been right, she was simply too distracting. Especially now.

"You seem extra focused today."

Dick slipped, causing his Birdarang to spin completely out of control, missing his target by feet.

"Ouch."

"Can I help you Bruce?" Dick sighed, knowing that time alone was much too good to be true.

"Actually, you can," he said, as if it were a surprise, "right after you tell me what's going on."

Dick had paused at this. Bruce couldn't have known about last night. Could he? Of course he could, Dick reminded himself, he's the goddamn Batman. In any case, he may know that Dick had spent the night with Starfire, but he couldn't know any more than that. Bruce had reluctantly disabled the cameras to the bedrooms after their last trip to Wayne Manor.

"Dick, don't even bother," Bruce said, cutting off the imminent pretend confusion. Damn, he was good.

"Well, you said that I had to do what I had to do, so I did, and things are fine now." Dick said warily, hoping his lack of detail would aid him.

"So you did it then?" Bruce said, the familiar malevolent glint in his eyes, "let me go get the beer."

"Bruce!" Dick scowled, this time spiking a Birdarang. "No we did not _do_ _it_. What's with the euphemisms anyway, are we in grade school again?"

"No," Bruce answered, turning all business, "which is my point. Why are you acting like a confused, lovesick grade schooler?"

Dick hated how Bruce did that. He always kept you off balance, you never knew when he was joking or 'making a point' as he called it. Dick should have known better by now, Bruce doesn't joke.

Dick quickly explained that things were fine, nothing really happened. Bruce sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get Dick to be straight with him.

"Let me tell you something," he started, menacingly, "this young love _bullshit_ is exactly why you shouldn't be getting involved." He calmed himself down a bit before continuing. "You feel awkward because you're unsure of yourself. Don't be."

What? Was Bruce actually giving him a pep talk? Dick had a feeling that the greater motive here was keeping the missions integrity safe.

"I disagree with your choices, but now you have to live with them, and by extension, so do I. This is what I've been trying to tell you all along; your actions as a leader affect everyone else on the team for better or for worse. You can't afford to be preoccupied."

And there it was. It always went back to the mission, the team and _then _him. Dick supposed he was right, a good leader put his team before himself. He allowed Bruce to continue, after all, this was exactly what he desperately needed to figure out. Bruce was always good at figuring things out.

"If you choose this path, you go all in. All or nothing, go big or go home, winner takes all. You don't get it both ways."

Dick thought about Bruce's words. 'All in' and 'go big or go home'. He definitely was 'all in', there was nothing holding him back, he was committed to what he was doing. Dick didn't like the 'winner takes all' line. That sounded too much like a threat. Dick was also smart enough to realize that this is what Bruce had been trying to protect him from, partially. Having a close relationship with people makes you more vulnerable and puts a target on their back.

'All or nothing' made him pause, unsure exactly what to think about it. He knew that it couldn't be meant to mean the same thing as 'all in' or 'go big or go home.' He already said the same thing a different way twice; he wouldn't do it a third. It served a different purpose. He just didn't know what.

"Do you understand me?"

Dick simply nodded, even though there were still some blanks.

"Then I trust you will take care of this, tonight, after you've done your _first_ job."

Realization then hit him in the face like a sledgehammer. Bruce had just told him to have _sex_. Dick very nearly exploded at him then and there, but forcefully repressed his anger, thinking about what Bruce just said. The whole thing, not just what Dick now understood from his last sentence.

Dick was unsure of himself; he knew that. After last night, he wasn't sure where his footing was when it came to Starfire, or more importantly where he wanted it to be. Bruce, it seemed, wanted him to define his footing, declaring it in a final way. If they could comfortably make love, there would be nowhere else to go, no unexplored, awkward horizon. They could just be at peace. It made sense, he just wasn't sure he was ready for that.

Bruce noting the pained look on his face laughed, "What? Are you going to tell her that you can't be with her anymore?"

"You and I know that would only make things worse."

"I know. Despite my warnings to you, whether you want it, or even accept it, it just happens, you can't really help that can you?" Bruce said, showing his understanding now.

"Not everyone can be like Raven," Dick grinned, "not even you."

"Especially not me, you remember Julie Madison, Silver St. Cloud, Vicki Vale, Sasha Bordeaux, Talia al Ghul, Selina Kyle… Wonder Woman…." He trailed off, laughing at how lengthy the list had become. "Stick with just one, Koriand'r, and it might just work out for you, it seemed to work for Clark."

"Thanks, Bruce," Dick felt some of the resentment he had once held for Bruce Wayne began to melt away. He finally felt as though he had grown up in Bruce's eyes; it was a satisfying feeling.

"If you tell anyone about this conversation," Bruce growled, "I will skin you alive. Speaking of which, they'll be on the left in the top drawer."

Dick looked at him questioningly.

"The skins…" Bruce said dryly... Virgins.

* * *

"Wow that actually looks really good, Starfire." This time Raven had been completely sincere.

"Oh do you think so, friend Raven?" Starfire gasped elatedly.

"Definitely, that dress will make Dick go wild," Raven said, smirking to herself.

"You do not suppose that it would be Richard's do you?" Starfire giggled

Did Starfire just play on words? Raven was impressed, normally words played on _her_, and on top of that, it had been pretty funny.

Starfire gave herself one last good look up and down in the mirror before returning to the dressing room, feeling she had a winner. It was a strapless dress that stopped at mid-thigh, while hugging her just right. She felt so womanly wearing it, she could not wait to wear it for real. Because it was her favorite color, she already had plenty of accessories at the manor that would work perfectly. As it was, the dress was going to make Richard's wallet quite sad, she didn't need to hurt it more than was necessary.

Now it was off to the bookstore. Raven browsed the literature while Starfire made her way to the magazines and music section. She flipped through several girl magazines, finding interest in very few, then one finally caught her eye. The cover read '6,534 ways to please your man.' Starfire gasped, realizing she had a lot of ground to cover, there was so much information, how could she possibly remember it all? Suddenly Raven materialized beside her, frowning.

"Starfire, you know none of that really works right?" Raven said flatly.

"Oh!" Starfire said, suddenly blushing, "why of course, I simply enjoy to amuse myself with the…" Starfire stopped, realizing she hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Riiiight. Come on, let's go to the music."

Starfire laughed at herself awkwardly, then gingerly set the magazine down before hurrying from the aisle.

Again Raven and Starfire parted ways. Raven made a beeline for the punk section while Starfire wandered aimlessly. She always enjoyed looking at the pictures on the CD cases. Then something caught her eye; the pattern on a CD entitled 'Double Eclipse' by a band named Hardline, reminded her of home. Though she knew it was actually a picture of an eclipse, the orange orb reminded her a lot of her home planet of Tamaran. She took the CD in her hands and flipped it over, only to reveal more surprises. She gaped at the photo of the band, deciding instantly that they were Tamaranean warriors in disguise; their hair was simply too magnificent. She immediately took it to the scanner so she could listen to the tracks on the recording. After skimming each track, she decided that she found a new music group to add to her favorites. One of their tracks reminded her so much of Richard and herself. She had to have this CD. She could not pick a 'most favorite' as the more romantic songs were much softer while the more exciting ones were not exactly as cute. She liked romantic, but she also liked heavy, she decided.

She then bumped into Raven. Somehow, they ended up in the same section labeled 'Heavy Metal.' Raven now began peeking at her music before plugging in her headphones. She sighed.

"You would."

"What is wrong, friend Raven? Is this not to your liking, I believed that you liked the heavy metal, yes?" Starfire asked, not understanding Raven's comment.

"Starfire, that's hardly 'heavy metal,' that's hair metal," Raven commented with significant distinction.

"Tamaranean warrior princes have their own genre?" Starfire became excited very quickly. She could not believe her luck, if there was more of this, she must have it!

"Erm… I guess you could say that. Most heavy metal musicians have long hair," she said as she flashed her own CD's including Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and some others that Starfire could not read due to their odd fonts. "It's just that most hair metal musicians paid way too much attention to their looks and usually only write about love and stuff."

"Glorious," Starfire uttered, realizing she had hit the jackpot.

"Also, most of their fan base was composed of teenage girls, you being a perfect example," she smirked, realizing that Starfire couldn't possibly have cared, "though I will say, despite the genre as a whole being quite watered down, they did have some very talented musicians. The guitarist on that CD also played with Journey."

Starfire gave her a look of fake understanding. Raven saw right through, as she decidedly looked more like a deer in headlights.

"You know, that song that the boys always blast when it comes on? It's called Don't Stop Believing."

Starfire immediately nodded her head in understanding; she always heard that song on the radio in the T-car. Then for reasons unbeknownst to her, Beast Boy and Cyborg would always start singing quite loudly and terribly.

Raven and Starfire began to talk more and more about music, specific artists and musicians. Raven introduced her to some of her more tame stuff as Starfire searched for heavier sounding music. Starfire had quickly favorited the 'Women That Were Made of Iron' as she first called them, much to Raven's chagrin. When Starfire asked why all of the music they had was so old, Raven explained that on Earth, people's ideas about what was cool change very often. However, older heavy metal still had a pretty strong following, though most people just called it rock now. Raven then introduced her to some more of the stuff that she had been looking at before.

Starfire had mentioned that for someone who seemed not to like it, Raven sure knew a lot about it. Raven then admitted that there was no one who could truly dislike _all _of it. Most people, Raven explained, who liked this music were very particular and would not admit to enjoying anything from Hair Metal because it was 'not cool.'

Starfire left quite satisfied with a plethora of Motley Crue, Whitesnake and Hardline CDs all tucked into her bags and a lot less money in her wallet.

* * *

Dick quickly sidestepped the punch, moving forward to intercept the arm at the wrist. His left hand darted, seizing the blow and pulling the arm taught while his right hand clamped the attackers elbow, he then proceeded to jam his elbow into the bicep before bringing the back of his hand forward to hit the nerve cluster at the temple.

Bruce staggered backwards, stunned. Dick smiled; it wasn't often that he had the privilege of beating down on the Batman.

"Where in the hell did you learn this stuff?" Bruce did not like to be beat.

"I learned a bit after I had left for California, but I received nearly all of my real training when I went to the Philippines to find the True Master," Dick smirked, knowing Bruce was agitated that something he hadn't taught Dick had him on the run… For now.

"Okay so how does this work exactly? What are the mechanics?" Bruce, analytical as always, didn't care to learn many of the specific moves except for the most common or dangerous, often finding that they were one and the same. He had always figured that it was better to know the tendencies and the style, from there, it all became predictable.

Dick explained that most traditional _eskrimadors_, as they were called, would stay low and work only in strafing motions derived from a triangular grid pattern where your feet were two of the points on a triangle. He explained that footwork was important but not nearly as complicated as other martial arts unless you were working with multiple opponents. Dick explained that this was how he opened his counter to Bruce's earlier punch, quickly strafing diagonally forward and out of the way of his punch while setting up in the perfect position to snatch the arm.

Dick also explained that all of these techniques were directly transferable from open hand, to blade, to traditional batons. Bruce seemed impressed by the simplicity that allowed cross weapon usage but also that in spite of that it remained extremely confusing and deadly when in the right hands.

Bruce now tried something else, attempting to grapple with Dick, reaching both hands for Dick's midsection. Dick immediately grabbed for Bruce's left arm as he twisted it upwards and fit his forearm between his head and upper arm. Dick lightly pressed the underside of Bruce's arm with his palm as he pressed the back of his head with his elbow. Bruce tapped out, deciding he had enough.

"Okay, you're telling me everything now. That could have killed me."

"Well, maybe I should start by suggesting against grappling with an advanced eskrimador," Dick laughed.

He began to explain that when it was first used, the island people that used Eskrima, or Kali, as it was then called were not natural wrestlers. The whole point of using the traditional batons was to extend your range. They weren't viewed as weapons in and of themselves; they were used as an extension of your person. As a result, most eskrimadors felt most comfortable at range.

As foreign invaders of the island began to visit more frequently, they eventually learned to crowd the warriors, effectively ending the fight assuming that they didn't know any wrestling or grappling techniques. As a result, the natural evolution of kali, or eskrima derived from the Spanish word _esgrima_ 'to fence', began to include quick and deadly techniques to discourage an opponent from getting too close, including _baliog pomali_,the particular technique just demonstrated on Bruce.

Bruce nodded in understanding and then got back into a fighting stance.

"Oh, one other thing," Dick started, "in eskrima, it doesn't matter what particular style of attack you use, eskrimadors only think of countering or parrying an attack in terms of angles, the weapon and discipline are irrelevant. My advice would be to think like a boxer and mix it up, don't fall into any regular patterns."

Bruce smiled, formulating a plan of attack. If he could manage to keep from being countered and disabled, he was going to win this time.

The two men clashed again. Bruce was careful not to actually land any hits, that way Dick didn't have the ability to tie him in a knot. Bruce had gone directly against Dick's advice and formed a fairly complex pattern that he repeated several times. In order to throw him off, Bruce was switching between martial art disciplines but using the same angle, thus creating a pattern that did not look like a pattern. Each time, Dick was a little bit faster in countering the next move. Finally, Bruce broke out of his pattern, twisting Dick's arm and landing a solid jab in his face. Unfortunately, their padded training gloves offered little protection, but Dick was not upset, he had been rough on Bruce in ways that training gloves would not help as well.

"Ahh, very tricky Bruce," Dick smirked, beginning to see what he had done.

"Okay, I think I'm finished here," Bruce said, walking away.

"Gonna quit while you're ahead huh?" Dick laughed at him as he walked off.

Right at that moment, the girls walked into the batcave, back from the mall. Dick insisted on seeing Starfire's dress, but Starfire wouldn't have it.

"You can see it when I am in it Richard," she said, showing some sass.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N:

Okay, not a whole lot to say here. I am quite proud of this chapter, a lot of things start to get explained and even more things are hinted at.

Raven's think speech formatting might be weird in some spots, I tried to do as best as I could to make it look nice. It didn't want to transfer from my Word Doc very easily.

I hope you all enjoy, Chapter 9 will be uploaded in a few days. Going to give it a tiny bit more time probably since I went ahead and did two chapters in the same day basically.

Please do review, thank you for the ones I have received so far!

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

It was nearly time to leave for the club, time for everyone except Dick who was dressed in his Nightwing outfit anyway. He didn't like being out of the action, but he couldn't complain about playing safety either. If anything went wrong, he would spring into action. If everything went according to plan, he could sit back and try to relax. Yah, like that would happen, he thought to himself.

Starfire began to walk down the stairs to the entryway of the house, preparing to be picked up by the remotely controlled T-car piloted by Cyborg. Dick watched every step, her legs flashing as she descended from the second floor. How could he have possibly ended up with this? He felt like the luckiest man alive right now.

He hurried to the bottom of the stairs, taking her hand and showing her to the door, opening it for her. Dick continued with her to the T-car where he opened the door for her again, then kissed her lightly before she got in.

"I will be careful," she smiled, knowing what his words would be.

"And if you're not, I'll be right there," he said while returning her grin.

Raven was encased in her jewelry that hung beautifully from Starfire's neck while Beast Boy sat on the ceiling of the car in the guise of a fly.

"Okay Star, I'm gonna get us going now, just don't touch anything and we should all be okay," Cyborg laughed, his voice booming through the speakers.

The T-car sped across Gotham, en route to its destination. Starfire quickly became bored in the awkward silence shared by her, Cyborg's disembodied voice, Raven's inability to speak and Beast Boy's frequent buzzing. She decided she would play some of her new music. She put in the Hardline CD first, as it was her favorite and scrolled through to her three favorite songs.

"Starfire…," Cyborg admonished, "what'd I tell you about touchin' things?"

"I am very sorry, friend Cyborg," she pouted, "I just became quite bored all by myself."

Cyborg, realizing that somehow nothing went wrong, allowed her to enjoy her music. A few minutes later, while the second song just began to start, Starfire could hear Cyborg's voice through the speakers, but it sounded distant, like what he was saying wasn't directed at her.

"Hey Dick! That music sounds like it could be about you and Star!" the voice whispered.

"Shut up Cy," another tiny, disembodied voice said, this one slightly louder.

That was creepy, she thought to herself. Then she blushed as she realized they could probably remotely hear what was going on in the car.

Dick observed the video feed to the T-car with Bruce on his enormous computer monitor. As he watched Starfire blush, he felt his own face beginning to turn red. Suddenly, Bruce swiveled around to look at Dick.

"I think you should probably tail them, you'll be able to respond to trouble faster if you're within the immediate proximity," Bruce said carefully, "just to keep an eye out." Bruce then downplayed his apparent concern. Dick didn't think much of it, and truthfully, there wasn't much to it. He knew that Bruce was just paranoid and wanted to have everything in place if things went awry, as they often did.

You didn't have to tell him twice, Dick was off and running, preparing to take off, heading in the direction of the tunnel that would take him closest to Silkie's.

* * *

"Okay, Star, time for you to go do your thing," Cyborg said encouragingly.

Starfire stepped outside and made for the door, wanting to get in and spend as little time in the dark parking lot as possible. Dick now circled overhead, wondering why they were even out here. Generally, when you hunt something, you don't set your own date and time then make arrangements with the prey to meet at its favorite nightclub.

"Bruce, how do you know he'll even be here?"

"You said it yourself, criminals are creatures of habit. How is it that you read a receipt from 300 feet away yet missed the time stamps on the video?"

Dick now felt like an idiot, he should've figured that one out on his own.

Starfire entered the club. She had never been to an Earth club before, but she was surprised to find that no one came to check her ID. Bruce had made her a fake ID card so she could get in. Even still, she didn't think it would help her much, she simply looked too young. Cyborg was the only one that was even close to the legal drinking age, and he wouldn't be properly suited to this mission. Richard would be in about two years, but that didn't help them now. Raven still had a few years to go as well, but she wouldn't drink anyway. Beast Boy certainly couldn't fool anyone, except maybe himself.

She sat down at the bar, and quickly turned her game face on. The bartender wandered over towards her, looking at her peculiarly.

"Hey, yuh want somepin' tuh drink?" He asked, his eyes anywhere but on her face.

"Umm, no thanks, not yet," she smiled awkwardly, "I wished to dance a little bit before, alcohol would severely impair my ability to do so."

"Yuh could dance wit me, if you'se ready for a little good, unclean fun," he said, winking at her.

She stood up and quickly walked away, simultaneously realizing that many of the patrons' eyes followed her strangely, and somehow, she didn't think it was because she was attractive.

_I'm picking up some really weird vibes in here. You should try to get this over with quick, the sooner we're out of here, the better. _Raven thought to her.

Raven was talking to her?

_Yes I am. Now, come on, get back to the mission._

She looked around, espying her quarry on the dance floor. She quickly made her way to the dance floor as well, beginning her dance very near to him. As he turned around, she did as well, her back now to him. It was actually quite a smooth evasion; she made it blend perfectly with her dancing. She waved her hips at him seductively, before turning back around to find him looking her over. She flashed her emerald eyes at him, which popped incredibly against the predominantly purple theme of the restaurant. She finished her dance and took a seat in a booth to relax. Starfire admired the leopard print on the upholstery, now that she had bothered to notice, all of the upholstery in the restaurant was leopard printed.

_Seriously? Leopard skin? I've met seat cushions with more sense than whoever designed this awful place._

Starfire giggled to herself. The man walked over to her booth, sitting down across from her.

"Wow, you've got some nice moves," he winked at her, but not dirtily like the bartender, it was actually quite charming.

_Interested._

"Thank you, I find your moves quite aesthetically appealing as well," she giggled, realizing she might have overdone her word choice.

…_Awkward._

"You're not from around here are you?" He laughed, feeling awkward indeed, clearly surprised by her phrasing.

_Suspicious._

"No, I am an off-worlder, but Earth is my home now," she smiled, knowing that revealing that much could not hurt her. There were many off-worlders who came to Earth seeking greener laughed, as if to say 'oh of course' before offering his hand. "Can I get you something to drink?" he nodded towards the bar, "my treat," he smiled again.

_Suave._

She couldn't say no, not to that face. Even though she was deeply in love with Richard, she found this man quite appealing in a very proper and charming way. His chin was somewhat pointed, but strong, matching his jaw, which was sharp and quite angular. His high cheekbones finished off the symmetry of his face perfectly. It gave length to his face, which was not long, but as a result of the bone structure, did not look short either. Starfire found it quite handsome.

"Of course!"

He laughed, and took her by the hand, guiding her to the bar.

"What'll it be this time Jack?" The bartender groused at him, looking over Starfire again.

"The usual, Deon, you know how I like'em," he smiled at the bartender.

_Passive Aggressive._

"An for duh lady?" Deon's tone now softened.

"I'll have the red wi-," Starfire began, but was cut off.

"She'll have an iced tea," he finished for her, eyeing her carefully. Starfire visibly pouted.

_Protective._

"Aw, cum on, dun be such uh spoil sport," Deon growled through gritted teeth. "Let duh nice lady have her drink." Starfire was beginning to pick up on subtext, she wasn't sure what it was, but there was definitely more going on here.

"Sorry, but she isn't even of age," Jack guessed warily, hoping his shot in the dark proved to find its mark. He knew this technicality would be of little consequence anyway.

_Evasive._

Starfire began to notice most of the people in the club had begun to watch them again. Then Starfire noticed Beast Boy waving frantically with four of his eight legs as he stood atop a stone dolphin leaping out of a small indoor fountain.

_Umm, Starfire, you and your new boyfriend better get out of there quick. I'm not liking what his is starting to look like. I'm pretty sure I've seen this before._

"Dat's societies rule. He has no such rules."

Weird, Starfire thought. Who had authority over the authorities?

* * *

Dick had circled overhead while vigilantly eyeing the parking lot. He sighed, realizing that nothing was going to happen in this particular area of Gotham, it was a pretty clean stretch of the city, or at least as clean as Gotham came.

"Dayum Dick!" Cyborg guffawed over his earpiece, "Starfire is _on_ fire, it hasn't even been twenty minutes and she's already got our friend on a hook." Cyborg blurted out more details, quickly making Dick wish he could be back at the batcave with Cyborg and Bruce who were undoubtedly watching the security feeds live. He wasn't sure whether to be concerned or proud.

Just then, two men exited out the backdoor of the bar. Dick watched one as he began to camp out next to the Jackal's mustang, which was across the aisle from the T-car, while the other camped out by the door.

"Cyborg, are you seeing this?"

"Already on it man," Cyborg responded, whirring the T-car to life with virtually no noise, another useful function he had designed.

* * *

"Well, I'm not sure who _He_ is, but since we live in _society_, I'm going to have to obey the law, and I suggest you do the same." He said, somewhat forcefully, but clearly unwilling to cause trouble.

_Threatening._

"Ari, show dis man tuh duh door please," Deon grumbled.

Suddenly a thin woman appeared behind them, hands on her hips, glaring through her long bangs menacingly. It probably would have been a lot less menacing if the rest of her hair hadn't been buzzed to the point of revealing scalp.

"That's quite all right, we were just leaving," he stood up, Starfire with him, and turned for the door. She could feel the eyes of the entire establishment now boring directly through her.

_Smug. But not nearly soon enough._

They approached the foyer, Jack again holding the door open for her. This 'Ari' character had followed them the whole way.

Starfire had agreed to follow Jack back to his house in her own car, as they exited the club.

Suddenly, a man emerged from the shadows behind them and charged Jack, blade drawn. Jack had smelled him the moment they opened the door; the red wine on his breath had betrayed him. Red wine never eluded his keen sense of smell.

His mouth breathing had definitely not helped either. It was this that allowed Jack to decide that the man was about six feet, three inches, based off the trajectory of the sound. Knowing his height helped him considerably. Geometric measurements filled his head as he listened for and counted the man's footsteps, despite being shoeless for the purpose of stealth. Four, five, now! Jack performed an over the shoulder judo flip, tossing the man into the street just as wheels began to scream against the asphalt somewhere else in the parking lot.

Jack ran forward with surprising speed as he heard the click of a snub-nosed revolver's hammer being pulled back. Just before the shot rang out, he slid across the ground, ducking the bullet, allowing his first assailant to valiantly take it for him. Jack arrived just in time to catch and use the momentum of the dead man's fall, taking him by the collar and putting his feet into the man's midsection as he catapulted the corpse into Ari, who had drawn the gun. People began to rush outside, and Jack new it was time for the young alien and himself to get out of there.

* * *

"Nightwing, don't move a muscle. Koriand'r and the Jackal are more than capable of taking care of themselves, it's almost unfair," Batman instructed, "it's not worth blowing your cover yet, plus, if you wanted to stop some kind of injustice, you would have to side with the two thugs," Bruce smirked.

Nightwing wasn't concerned with Starfire; he knew she could take care of herself. It was the man he worried about, what if they had been wrong about him? He saw them just before they exited the club. Again. That face. The angles, the point, the cheekbones. He knew he had seen it before, he just couldn't decide where.

Dick now saw the man charge them from behind, knife in hand. The young hero furled his wings and fell into a two-thousand foot dive, hoping he would make it in time to do _something_. Dick again zoomed in on the man's face as close and as clearly as he could, despite the conditions. What was that? He was counting. Nightwing allowed his wings to billow out, realizing they did indeed have the right man. Impressive. He watched the man fly through the air.

"Cyborg, you have goon number two?" Batman asked sternly.

"As good as gone boss man," Cyborg laughed. Just then, Nightwing observed the T-car roar to life and bulldoze the man lying in wait near the mustang. Dammit, everyone got to have fun except him, and something had gone wrong!

He returned his gaze to the Jackal just in time to see him send the man barreling into the gunman… err… woman.

"Awww yeahhh, kickin' ass like it's no one's business," Cyborg hooted, "You got to admit, Dick, that dude has got stuff."

He sure did. It would be extremely difficult to surprise someone who was ultra-aware of his surroundings, and if you didn't surprise him, petty thieves such as these didn't stand a chance.

"Hmm, odd that they would target a superhero," Dick thought aloud, "his identity must be intact; no one in their right mind would attack that guy. Perhaps he's a little too obvious with his wallet."

* * *

Starfire skipped over the unconscious body as the T-car screeched to a halt at Starfire's side, the door swinging open of its own volition. Starfire quickly jumped into the T-car as it pulled out behind the Jackal's yellow mustang.

Starfire's heart was pounding out of her chest. That was probably one of the scariest moments in all her time with the Titans except for probably when she was almost lunch for a Cyrinillian Chrysalis Eater. She was not used to being alone when these sorts of things happened, and they all happened so fast. She was very glad she had not been the target of that bullet. Beast Boy and Raven had felt similarly about the experience, realizing that their little tussle could have been much worse, the problem was that it was over before they had much chance to do anything. That coupled with the hesitation of blowing cover made the Jackal's battle proficiency all the more important.

Nightwing continued, following from the air, and began circling the house he had visited just yesterday. Cyborg and Jack both pulled their cars into the garage. Starfire exited the car just as Jack had finished dialing up the house's security.

Starfire was then ushered inside and was brought to the kitchen. She sat at a barstool across the counter from Jack who was calmly making them drinks, having been deprived at the bar.

"Lemonade?" he questioned.

"Oh yes please, I do enjoy the lemons," Starfire giggled.

"You struck me as a girl who enjoys a good lemon," he laughed genuinely.

_That was creepy._

"Excuse me, but may I ask about your incred-," Starfire began before being cut off.

"Oh, that? It's nothing really, I just enjoy the martial arts and have taken many self-defense classes, it definitely pays when you have assets to protect," he said quickly, putting his prowess off on necessity, considering his wealth.

_Evasive._

Cyborg now utilized his newest modification, the paradox that was a vehicle in a vehicle. He released his RC T-car miniature and activated its active camouflage, another effect of the nanobot-paint. He wheeled the car around, exiting the garage through a broken vent in the side of the wall. He quickly did a donut in the driveway before approaching an open window to his left. He scooted into the nearby planter that had been overrun by a large bush. He unrolled a USB cable from a winch in the T-car, which proceeded to snake itself up and through the window, dropping into the darkened room.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy explored the house as a gnat. So far, it just seemed like a normal house to him, a really big normal house. He found his way to what he assumed was the Jackal's bedroom and explored the room finding nothing of interest. He examined the one opening in the room besides the door. He flew through the slats of a ventilation duct, then stopped just short of a solid wall after about a foot and a half. That'd odd, how is the air conditioner supposed to work with this big wall here?

Starfire sat uncomfortably as Jack made advance after advance. She finally put him off, this time being quite straightforward.

"I do not believe I am ready at this time, I just met you after all," she smiled, "but I would love to know more about you," turning more charm on.

He explained that he had returned to his old home after traveling the country and certain parts of the world as apart of a circus. Starfire then thought fondly of Richard. He misread her face for confusion.

"You know," he started, laughing, "a circus: lions, tigers, bears…"

"Oh my!" Starfire giggled, "were there clowns too?" For some reason this struck a nerve.

"Yah, you could say that, I suppose."

_Upset._

Just as Beast Boy landed on the wall of the vent, Cyborg had plugged his USB into a computer just on the other side of the window he sat outside of remotely. Then sirens rang out, signaling an intruder.

"Aww man, it's not my fault I swear!" Beast Boy buzzed frantically looking for a way out as the alarms echoed, deafening the gnat caught in the duct.

Cyborg also began insisting that it was not his fault, as he quickly rolled up his cable and took off for the garage.

Immediately, Jack jumped up, took Starfire by the hand and threw her into a closet, sealing it with reinforced steel doors.

_Don't freak out, this can't hold you, so no need to break out before you have to and blow your cover._

Jack rushed to his room, tearing over to the wall with the ventilation duct. He reached in and tapped out a distinct cadence on the back panel, sending Beast Boy scrambling for cover. As he did this, the wall slowly opened up to reveal a den, which must have operated similarly to the batcave, just less stylish perhaps.

Jack accessed his computer, navigating the houses security network through the terminal. The heartbeat and heat sensor only detected Starfire in the reinforced 'panic' closet as well as several small insects. All systems within the house seemed to be normal. He then rolled the video feeds outside of the house, noticing nothing. He did one last thermal scan, this time on the exterior of the house. Other than a rather large bird that was passing at the time, there was nothing sizable outside of the house. Jack sighed, fearing that a false alarm was even worse than a real one, given the circumstances.

Starfire heard the footfalls of her host as he approached the closet, unlocking it and opening the door. He smiled sheepishly at her,

"Sorry about that, it was for your safety."

_Truthful._

"I feel you have been keeping something from me," Starfire started, beginning to whimper cutely, "the martial arts, the alarm, and then you threw me into a closet." She allowed herself to appear especially affected by the last particular bit of her list.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to change the batteries in the fire alarm," he tried, feeling that might work on an alien girl.

_Half-truth… Wait, so if the house is burning down, his solution is to lock you in a closet? In a burning building? If we keep him, I need to teach him how to lie._

"I like you, but I need to know you, I need to be able to trust you," she pressed.

_Damn, you are ruthless. I'll be sure to warn Dick._

She supposed she was learning to be a little manipulative. She didn't see it as manipulation though. She wasn't capable of doing what she was doing for any reason other than her current mission. It was different, feelings and morals were not apart of the equation.

_Profound. Bruce would be proud of you._

She could see his inner-struggle, she knew that he knew she could see it. He had no choice but to come clean to her, or send her away. He would not send her away. She knew this because of his embarrassing closet antics; he couldn't allow that to get out without smoothing things over first.

"I guess you're right." He finally said, allowing the silence to grow ripe with anticipation. What could it hurt? She knew so much already, might as well come clean the rest of the way. Besides, she was an alien, she probably wouldn't even understand the significance.

Jack explained that when he was a child, he and his mother were kidnapped by the Joker in order to lure his father to them and trap him. Jack revealed that the trap had worked exactly as the Joker had planned. The Joker had a knack for making people suffer, and in some pretty twisted ways. He had forced Jack to murder both of his parents point blank, execution style. He remembered his father telling him to do it, to do it and have courage. He said it didn't matter, they would die anyway; he wanted his son to kill him so that maybe Jack would have a chance to live, where they already had no chance. Jack had squeezed the trigger, tears streaking his cheeks. The Joker then told Jack that he would find him a nice box and that he would be joining the circus.

Jack recalled, but reserved, that the Joker had merrily sung 'pop-goes-the-weasel' while pantomiming the winding of a Jack in the Box, in mockery of Jack's father. The Joker had always considered him to be nothing better than his friend, the rat with wings, just another overgrown animal in tights.

The Joker had allowed Jack to live only so that he could suffer through the guilt of being the murderer of his own parents. He had been the Joker's prisoner ever since, working alongside him and his gang while committing more atrocities. Recently, following a trip to Ethiopia, the Joker had allowed Jack a little more leash than he had previously, finally beginning to believe Jack had gone so crazy that he wasn't worth trying to 'handle' anymore, he believed that his guilt had enslaved his mind. After they returned from the trip, Jack had gone to hold up a pizza place to bring something back for the group. When he had returned, he found the place cordoned off by the Gotham PD, and that's when it finally had hit Jack. He was now a criminal, a wanted man. Of course, no one knew his name or really particularly cared, the Joker was who they were after, not his goons. Jack took the opportunity to try and escape; cutting the last several years of his life loose. He re-emerged as the son who was never found, saying that he had been away with family in Europe at the time, and fortunately was not caught up in the mess. He revealed that he had always feared that the Joker would return, to take him back or, more likely, kill him. Jack had said that he didn't plan on hiding; he had taken precautions against just such an occasion. He would elaborate no further.

_Complete sincerity. Bruce wants you to expose him as the Jackal, and then reveal your own identity as well as the others. He is on his way._

During Raven's think-speak to Starfire, a piercing cry rang out, startling Starfire. Jack noticed her fright, realizing he had probably done some emotional damage with the closet maneuver and his blood-curdling story. He didn't like spilling so much, but he couldn't easily give half of the story and expect her to not know he was keeping something. Besides, he felt that he could trust her.

"It's okay, that's just one of the local species of hawk, they hunt all over the place out here away from the city," he reassured, putting his arm around her shoulders.

She laughed in her head, knowing that it was not the call of any earthen bird of prey. She recognized that sound as well as her own name; it had just startled her after piercing through the silence that filled the room. She had recognized it as the call of the Kryptonian bird of prey known as the 'Nightwing.' She suddenly felt much safer knowing that Richard was near to protect her.

* * *

Nightwing soared high above the house, watching with intent as the alarms sounded within the house. He furled his wings and entered a swan dive, rapidly losing altitude as he adjusted his distance from the ground, allowing for a quicker entry should it be necessary. He cupped his wings again, as he approached the 100-meter mark in his masks altitude readout. At that moment, he twisted his belt buckle and tapped it twice, emitting an ear-splitting screech that would, without a doubt, be noticed by Starfire.

"Nightwing?" Bruce queried. "Cyborg and I are en route to the house in the batmobile. I have a feeling that you may want the backup."

As Bruce had said that, Dick had spotted four purple vans about three miles down the main road just beyond the suspension bridge leading to downtown Gotham.

"I think you might be right."

Dick tapped out a different pattern on his belt buckle, a throaty call issued forth, this time a recording of a wounded Nightwing bird. He continued to circle. He would wait for the appropriate time to reveal himself, looking for maximum amount of surprise in the enemy. He still had several minutes to figure it out, as the vans were still a little ways out.

* * *

Starfire shuddered again; it was not often she had the displeasure of hearing that particular call.

Jack looked up as if to respond, again trying to soothe her, but then he realized he had no idea what kind of bird had made that particular noise.

"I know what it is," she confessed, "I fear we are going to have company, good and bad quite soon. "But first, you must listen to me."

Starfire carefully explained that she was a warrior princess from a distant planet that had abilities that would be considered 'superhuman' had she been a human. She explained that she was apart of a group of young adults who were all very similar to her, and they were all similar to him. They each had something that made them unique, that set them apart, and most of them had a reason to want to see wrongs righted, just like him.

She told him that they all knew who he was, and had sent her to him to find out more about him, and potentially offer him a spot with them, should he accept.

_I don't remember _that _being part of the plan…_

Starfire shot a thought bubble back to Raven containing a comical re-enactment of Bruce and Richard arguing about whether or not to allow him to join the Titans. Bruce had said that they didn't know enough about him at this point, but Dick had insisted that if he was what he appeared to be, they would benefit more from working with him than against him or aside from him. In the end, it had been left up in the air, depending entirely on the developments of the night. Normally, Bruce would have no say, but as the Titans were staying at Wayne Manor for the time being, he had more pull in this matter. Raven's thought reading coupled with the imminent danger seemed a perfect chance to determine intentions and worth.

_I'm not so sure, last time we did this…_

Starfire shuddered at the thought, but could not bring herself to think about it again.

He tried to deny it at first, but she continued to press him. Finally demonstrating her own abilities of flight while starbolts filled her hands and her eyes began to blaze with an emerald flame.

"Our enemy approaches quickly, I suggest you prepare yourself."

The purple vans now slowly made their way up the long driveway leading towards the house.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N:

I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, here is the follow up where we get to see exactly what happens to the Titans and there new potential ally.

I enjoyed writing this one a lot, this will start to drop more hints about what's going on with these strange new enemies (if you haven't already figured it out). Next chapter will put it all together and kind of tie this chapter and the last one up.

Please let me know what you guy's think! I'm always happy to get feedback so I know if I'm on the right track or need to rework some things. Thanks!

**I do not own the Teen Titans or any other part of the DC Universe.**

_Oh yes, as a final note, for those who are interested, below is the URL to my DeviantArt page. It's nothing special, but I do enjoy exploring another medium after I get burnt out from writing. **Beware. Minor Spoiler content. (I've written about 10 chapters ahead of what is published and as a result sometimes like drawing/painting bits of the future as well)**_

* * *

_**Chapter 9**_

The Jackal had returned quickly, this time looking how she had seen him before out in the city.

He wore a full mask that looked similar to Egyptian headwear in honor of Anubis, just more functional. It had pointed black ears that fed directly to his own, furthering amplifying his extraordinary hearing. They were not unlike batman's stylized bat ears, but distinctly more canine. The mask also had a snout that protruded somewhat from his face, without appearing cartoon-like. His breastplate bore blue and white stripes similar to traditional cloth worn by the pharaohs. On his right bicep, he wore a golden band, and on both wrists, he wore matching golden manacles. Around his waist, he tied a dark blue sash just above his ornate ancient Egyptian kilt. Beyond that, his uniform was a simple black jumpsuit with a long tapering golden stripe down his back. It was similar in armoring to Nightwing's, which was to say that it wasn't entirely devoid of armor, but both men trusted their speed to avoid armor being a necessity. Starfire could tell that the suit's design definitely followed Batman's philosophy of intimidation. This suit would scare most unsuspecting bad guys out of their wits. Though the dog was considered man's best friend, there is no denying that it was definitely also considered dangerous.

He beckoned for her to follow as they heard the car doors slamming outside. He led her back to the panic closet and as she was about to protest, he opened up a trap door that lead to a basement underneath the house and parts of the outdoor property. After a few minutes of stumbling around, they found their exit. They emerged behind a set of shrubs with a clear view of twenty men beginning to surround the front of the house. Most had simple melee weapons of one kind or another, while only Ari carried a true firearm.

Wait, it wasn't the Joker? Jack laughed to himself figuring he had grown paranoid, always assuming the worst. He suddenly felt quite emboldened. There was just one more thing that made him wary, the strange projectile contraption that Deon had with him disturbed Jack. It didn't appear to be a weapon, perhaps a restraining device?

Quietly, Starfire had rubbed the jewels that hung around her neck, releasing Raven from her confinement. Beast Boy had also joined them, but in the form of a green jackrabbit.

"Wow, you weren't kidding, the whole gang is here, huh?" He mused, not pleased that he had been spied on, but now thankful he had friends to help him out of his situation.

"Not quite, that bird you kept hearing was Nightwing, he is somewhere above us right now," Starfire told him quietly.

"Yah, and Cy's still on his way with Batman right?" Beast Boy chimed in, now a human again.

Suddenly it made sense. He had heard and smelt this 'Nightwing' yesterday night, which also would explain his alarm, thought it was quickly disarmed because he thought it may have just been an owl.

"I'm going out there," Jack finally decided, "it's me they want, they just won't recognize me as the Jackal. Will you guys back me up if things get ugly?"

There were three successive nods, as Raven winked out through a portal transporting her across the yard while Beast Boy scurried off, taking his position elsewhere. Everyone sat tight, waiting for him to make his move.

"Aww come on, you guys know I like a good party as much as you do," Jackal laughed as he stepped from behind the hedge, "an invitation is the least you could've done, at least then I wouldn't have to crash it."

"This does not concern you, Dog," Ari sneered maliciously, "you best stay out of this, or we'll have to put you down."

"Oh but I think it does," the Jackal laughed, yanking at a cord around his ankle that Starfire had not noticed until just now. Ari then fell to the ground face first. Starfire gasped, realizing that she had held the other end.

The Jackal had released himself from the loop of yarn around his ankle just as Ari had given the order to take him down.

At that moment, a rhinoceros charged from the tree line knocking over two of the vans, causing quite a commotion. Starfire leapt from her hiding spot, just to be immediately ensnared by whatever tool Deon had been wielding. It had been a net of sorts, designed to repel and suppress the same sort of energy Starfire would need to escape. The net could only be destroyed by conventional means, and even then, it would take some work.

Raven was charged head on by three of the thugs, who, after their weapons had seemingly decided to turn against them, decided that the _erinye_,as they had called her, should be left alone for now.

The Jackal darted every which way, not stopping to fight any adversary in particular, but instead preferring to move from enemy to enemy, similarly to a pinball. He was as close to flying as one without wings or the ability itself could be, vaulting from enemy to enemy, landing kick after kick and vicious overhead fist slams.

Despite the ferocity of the three Titans, without Starfire, Nightwing, Cyborg or Batman, they stood little chance. More vans were pulling up, and they were only barely holding on as it was.

* * *

Nightwing watched closely from 250 meters above the yard. He had noticed that the four Titans had gathered behind a bush that concealed a trap door. While so far, the Jackal's resourcefulness and discretion had been less than impressive, the underground exit had definitely been a good idea.

Nightwing decided that he would stay put until a fight broke out, at which time, he would begin his descent. He thought he might just get his chance as he saw the Jackal step out from behind the bush. After the woman had fallen, most of the men had rushed him. That was it, time to drop in, he thought.

That's exactly what he would be doing. He tucked his wings to his back and swan dived directly towards the crowd. Unfortunately, he had no propulsion to aid him beyond gravity itself. He knew that acceleration due to gravity was only about ten meters per second, which would mean that he had about 25 seconds until he would actually be in combat. As he had started his fall, he had reassessed the situation. Starfire had been trapped in some sort of net and was now being hauled off to an open van by the bartender. The others seemed to be too busy to effectively help her. Now he knew where he would start.

The Jackal was slowly making his way towards the van, but even with his slow fall, Nightwing knew he would make it their first, but not very quickly either. Starfire was now being tied with the net and laid on her stomach on the edge of the van, legs dangling off the bumper as she cried out in sheer terror. The bartender placed his greasy mitts on her thighs, slowly running up her legs. He had to go faster, Nightwing thought furiously.

He was now within 60 meters of the ground. He decided that he would again unfurl his wings and come in at an angle, two drawn Birdarangs resting between his fingers.

Nightwing released his weapons as he approached, his signature shriek splitting the air, striking fear into the bartender. They spun with razor precision towards their targets, only centimeters apart. The first one cleanly sliced the netting holding Starfire to the floor of the van, while the other caught the Bartender on his sleeve, pinning him to the wall of the van. Now a sitting duck for the menacing bird of prey, the bartender struggled to free himself. Nightwing launched himself at the man, two fists outstretched, catching him on the face and chest with the full force of his flight behind them. The bartender slumped to the ground, apparently knocked out by the ferocious dive.

Nightwing hooked around after his pass to observe the battle once more. The titans were now surrounded, fighting back to back.

He was enraged. Nightwing's fury seethed as he landed. Wrath coursed through him, taking over his entire body. He hurled himself at the thick line of thugs encircling his friends. Nightwing pitched three more of his specialty weapons into the crowd, eviscerating their targets. A ferocious, pained roar issued from the center as Beast Boy, now a lion, had been shot by Ari, only now deciding to enter the fight as things began to look like they might turn around. Fortunately, Beast Boy's unnaturally expanded mass would take the wound, leaving him with little more than a welt when he shrunk back to his normal size. That and there wasn't much that such a small caliber bullet could do to a lion anyway, posing no immediate threat.

Nightwing charged the lone markswoman, releasing a flurry of Birdarangs. They pierced the cool night air as they whistled towards their target. Ari had ducked two and deflected a third with a knife that she had in her left hand. She raised her weapon again, this time drawing a bead on Nightwing. A split second before her shot had rang out, he had released another Birdarang, this time in a sweeping backhand from across his body. The device curved wickedly, glinting in moonlight as it broke to intercept the bullet. A flash momentarily blinded Ari, as the Birdarang successfully halved the bullet before finding a home in the ground at her feet. As she jumped back from the weapon, another weapon was already en route. This one found its mark, burying itself in her revolver, igniting the remaining ammunition.

A distressed look crossed her face as she looked to her hand, observing the mangled weapon.

"What, afraid to fight without a gun?" Nightwing mocked her, as he drew his Eskrima sticks, flinging himself at her. He landed in a low crouch, weaving the air with his weapons, allowing her to make the first move.

* * *

The Jackal paused for a moment. There had been an awed silence as a mysterious flying man dressed in all black and midnight blue dove from the sky, shrieking viciously, barreling at Deon. Jack had seen a lot of scary things, hell, most ordinary people considered him to be a pretty scary character, but this was unreal. The man, which Jack assumed was Nightwing, fought like a bat out of hell. It was truly a spectacle to behold.

As quickly as it had begun, the momentary ceasefire caused by the demon in the sky had ended.

Jack threw a knee for distraction, quickly following up with a high, fully extended kick, dislocating his targets jaw. His opponent staggered to the ground just as Jack had smelled the body odor of a man behind him with his arms above his head, likely holding a weapon to bring down on top of him. Yep, there was the 'whoosh.' Jack never missed a 'whoosh.' He quickly dropped his body to the floor, rolling out of the way while arcing a kick towards his cowardly assailant. This had served to take the feet out from under his enemy, who now had dropped the sledge he was about to bury in Jack, on himself. While he had been on the ground, another man threw himself on the Jackal, somehow thinking that he would be an easier target on the ground. Anyone who knew anything about the Jackal knew he was one of the best grapplers in Gotham. In a matter for about 20 seconds, the would-be wrestler had been tied in a knot, writhing in pain.

Starfire was extremely grateful that Nightwing had dived in just in time to free her. She was not sure what would have happened had that terrible man had a bit more time. She would be sure to thank him most adequately later. She would also be sure to tell him just how important that might have been, for both of them. For now, she summoned all of the righteous fury she could muster, setting the dark night ablaze with her starbolts. She quickly dispatched several enemies, as these were not nearly as resilient as many of the large enemies they have fought, these were normal people she was putting up against her power.

The battle swung mightily in favor of the Titans as every second ticked by. It was slowly becoming a full on rout. Starfire paused, rising above the battle as she watched her man locked in a fierce duel with Ari. She would be ready if he needed saving.

* * *

She sneered at him, and lunged forward, blade drawn back, ready to strike. Nightwing waited for the blades slashing angle to define itself before sidestepping and reacting to the blow. The flash of the blade cutting the moonlight betrayed her strike in the dark. Reading the angle, Nightwing stepped into the attack, striking her wrist with the butt of his left baton while simultaneously slamming her spinal cord with the right, forcing her to the ground.

* * *

The Batman and Cyborg had just arrived, both launching from the batmobile's ejector seats and into the fray, or what was left of it. Only a handful of enemies remained. Batman observed the battlefield, finally taking note of Nightwing's duel with who appeared to be in charge of the operation. It was hardly fit to be called a duel, Bruce noticed. In fact, he was worried that this would turn from consensual combat to full on assault; Dick seemed particularly heated.

* * *

Nightwing sheathed his sticks, now preparing to enter open hand combat. Her smashed wrist had quickly been forced to relinquish its grip on the blade, which Nightwing carefully scooped up and stowed in a compartment within his boot. He patiently waited for her to return to her feet as he stepped and wove his hands in a similar manner as he had with his batons.

Now rage was smoldering within Ari, hating herself for not seeing the counter before she moved to strike. She hated him more for such perfect execution. Somewhere in her head, she knew that despite being an accomplished martial artist, she stood little chance against him. This enraged her more, her fury now boiling over. Her better judgment had been clouded by her anger over her inadequacy. Rather than take that as a hint, she allowed her ire to fuel her broken body.

She lurched towards Nightwing throwing a sloppy right left combination at him, very little tact present in her attack. Nightwing, never a believer in taking it easy on a criminal, locked his feet to the ground while striking the inside of each arm at the elbow before stepping into a palm strike that landed on her cheek, jarring her.

"I guess now I know why you wanted your gun," Nightwing laughed spitefully, "not much for hand to hand combat are we?"

As his cold words struck, realization filled her eyes. She couldn't win; she was going to be beaten. Showing surprising alacrity for someone who had just had her hand, spine and face bashed in, she back flipped out of the way of Dick's first true attack of the fight. She rolled as she landed then broke into a dead sprint for the van. Nightwing moved to unhook one of his three bolas, but the strange woman had already gotten into the van. There was definitely something supernatural about how quickly that woman had recovered.

Many others followed suit, beginning to flee the scene. Rather than let a good bola go to waste, Nightwing drew a bead on a fleeing thug. He whipped the device over his head before slinging it at his target. The man fell, the bola ensnaring him at the ankles.

Nightwing glided to the man, just as the last van was pulling away from the house. He sounded his nightmarish shriek while flaring his now outstretched wings menacingly. As he fell upon his quarry, the man gasped in fear.

"P- Please, don't hur-hurt me," the once cocky thug stammered, now reduced to groveling slime.

"That's not really my style," Nightwing said in an uncharacteristic, husky voice. He often used a mean, raspy sounding voice when dealing with a goon that needed a solid dose of intimidation. "But since it seems to be yours, I'm doing you a favor by not treating you the way you treat others." The goon gulped, as if clearing his throat to speak, Nightwing quickly shushed him, before continuing.

"I need information, and you're going to repay my favor." The others began to assemble behind Nightwing, clearly aiding in the fear factor. The Jackal stood next to Batman, who together, silhouetted by the light of the moon, were quite a sight. Starfire hovered next to Cyborg, three glowing eyes peering down. Two in a poisonous looking emerald and the other in a ghastly, enflamed crimson. Raven revealed four ruby eyes glinting demonically from beneath her cowl as she floated just above the others.

Finally, leave it to Beast Boy to top it off, clearly put out that he had no naturally strange ocular ability. He tried his best, becoming the biggest, most impressive spider he could think of at the time, blinking all eight of his orbs while allowing his chelicerae to slobber with a thick grisly venom.

"Anything! Anything you need, if I know it, it will be yours," he started, "but I'm just muscle, I don't know much more than the basics."

"That will do."

"Well, I guess a good place to start is Ariadne, that lady you just beat to a pulp," he grinned.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N:

Hey guys, this Chapter wraps up pretty much everything that has happened so far. From this point forward, the story takes a different angle, this is the first of two major plot intersections.

Here we learn a bit more about 'the Jackal' and what the significance is in his character and how it relates to the mysterious enemies from last chapter. I tried to keep as much of the existing DC backstories the same as well as keep the myth related bits as relatable as I could. I didn't want to get too crazy with that stuff but since two main characters/groups are entrenched in it, I felt it needed some better context. I'm trying to be vague for now, but you'll see what I mean later haha.

Also, thank you for the reviews! They could not have come at a better time since lately I have been on the verge of running out of gas. I'm working on Chapter 18 currently and I have been running on empty, so thanks for the ongoing support! Keep'em coming, I appreciate them very much!

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 10**_

Though the thug hadn't been much for specifics, he had been more helpful than he could have known. They had now returned to the batcave in order to compile the information they had gathered and sort through the night.

Raven and Bruce had already talked privately regarding the night's primary objective. As it turned out, Raven decided that she was willing to trust the Jackal, at least as far as he proved to be a friend. She had probed his mind during his time with Starfire, but also during the battle. She explained that there were ways to conceal thoughts, and someone like him may have the ability to do so because of his time with the Joker. That was one of the telltale signs of crazy. When an empath couldn't read you, it was generally because you had some pathological disorder or you were trained to give the impression that you had a disorder, which in turn disguised many of your thoughts and emotions. Raven had told Bruce that he had been hiding things from Starfire the entire night, but his brain was mostly an open book. However, there were guarded thoughts that were probably truly masked by an internal issue associated with them, but that was a very normal thing for someone in their line of work. She admitted that her search had been much more in depth during the battle, when his thoughts would be least protected and his mind most open. Her final verdict was that he appeared stable, intelligent and capable of doing his job adequately. Raven had even gone so far as to compare Jack's mind to Bruce. Somehow, that didn't make Bruce feel much better.

Ultimately Bruce determined that it was extremely unlikely that someone who was forced to kill his own parents would work with the Joker unless out of necessity, as had been the case before.

* * *

They started with the club itself. Jack and Raven were able to provide huge insight in this particular area. Wanting to see what Raven had been able to piece together, Jack allowed her to go first.

"I can't exactly pin point it," she began, "but it's not unfamiliar, there is a very strong ancient energy that hangs around in there." Raven pondered silently, searching her thoughts for potential answers. Fortunately, Bruce had asked the right question to get her thinking.

"What kind of ancient?" Bruce asked, intrigued, "the whole world was ancient at one point or another," he continued uncharacteristically light.

That was it! Raven recalled her memory of Bruce saying that the place had a very Mediterranean feel. Now it all made sense, the horrible fashion, the names, the wine.

"It's Greek." Raven supplied succinctly.

"That's all you have?" Bruce asked, somewhat disappointed.

"Not quite," Raven smirked. She then went on to explain that the club itself was a shrine. She started off with some of the more simple and coincidental evidence. She cited the purple coloring of the restaurant, reasoning that color and the spotted feline upholstery pointed towards the Greek god Dionysus. She went on to explain that his principle patronage was of hedonism. What better place than a bar to pay homage to the god of pleasure trips and partying? Oh and alcohol, though red wine most specifically. She also went on so far as to suggest that there may be a cult presence associated with the club, similar to how the mafia's of various factions 'sponsored' certain businesses. She asserted that there was more going on than just an interesting club theme. She backed that up with the fact that the two people whose names they knew were both related. Deon was a modern derivation of Dionysus itself, and Ariadne was Dionysus' consort, in the stories of myth.

She could plainly tell that the others believed her story, but failed to recognize the magnitude of the situation. She wasn't sure how the cult's beliefs worked and how likely they were to affect the real world, but she did know there was superhuman ability present. Whether it happened naturally, or whether it was a 'blessing' of sorts remained to be seen. At this point, she had started to explain the primary myth regarding Ariadne. She was a princess of Crete who had helped the hero Theseus navigate Daedalus' labyrinth using a ball of yarn. She assumed that this new Ariadne had a similar ability, but with an extra bit of potency. They all recalled what had happened when the Jackal had stepped forward, supposing that the magic yarn she had used helped her track him.

Not much got by her, Jack thought, very nearly impressed. Extra-sensory sensitivity certainly helped, but most intelligent people with a good understanding of mythology would be able to put this one together.

Raven, now seemingly done, gave way to Jack.

* * *

Dick listened thoughtfully as the Jackal recounted his experiences with the group that Raven had alluded to. He was able to confirm that there was indeed a cult. They called themselves the Dionysus Syndicate. Jack laughed at the irony as he explained that the _organization_ was devoted to hedonistic anarchy, explaining the comment that Deon, the bartender, had made when Starfire had revealed that the law said she was too young to drink.

Jack continued, now explaining that they were a group that he had encountered in his time with the Joker. He also explained that, at least to his knowledge, a major part of their beliefs were the hope that Dionysus would return to Earth, leaving Olympus. They had a very loose interpretation of what Olympus literally was, possibly existing beyond Earth. True to the original myths and cults, Dionysus always appeared as a foreigner; when he learned Starfire was an off-worlder, he knew that it would be an interesting night.

He explained that his own persona, similar to Nightwing and Batman's, was influenced by supernatural myth and superstition. His father had chosen 'the Jackal' as an ode to Anubis, the Egyptian god of judgment and the dead, before Osiris. This was a fitting motif to build a righteous crime-fighting image around, while still maintaining a threatening aura.

He had learned more about the history and myth surrounding the character as he began associating with the Syndicate. They saw the symbolism behind his father's persona as blasphemous. For obvious reasons, their idea of right and wrong wouldn't match up with Anubis' after their passing, and naturally, they took most of this myth seriously. The Syndicate had declared themselves bitter enemies of the Jackal, despite the Joker's assurance that he was dead. They didn't believe him to truly have died, reasoning that one cannot kill death itself. It seems that they had been right, to some degree.

"Excellent, I do enjoy the superstitious types," Batman laughed, more to himself than to anyone else. "If you don't mind my asking, what exactly did the Joker want with their cult?" The Joker was crazy, but not stupid, he couldn't possibly buy into what they were selling.

"Naturally the Joker didn't really care much for their beliefs, but he liked what they stood for," Jack explained, "it was not a rare occasion when he tried to stir them into a fanatical, anarchic frenzy, generally for his own purpose, whatever it had been at the time."

It was now Raven's turn to speak up again while the others listened, still unsure what to make of the news, or if they even understood it. Raven had asked why it was that a cult that followed Dionysus, a Greek God, would care about an Egyptian entity. Naturally, she was probably one of the only ones present who would automatically notice the significance of the difference. Jack went on to explain that, as he had said earlier, the cult's interpretations were often far-reaching and unspecific. Anubis was actually a Greek name for the Egyptian god Anapa; that name being only one of many such examples. Most ancient religions were more or less the same, the only difference being the names of the deities across languages and specific cultural quirks.

He explained that the Greeks had believed in a character very similar to Anubis despite having a slightly different interpretation and name. Anubis has often been considered the parallel of Cerberus, the three-headed hound and Charon, the traditional protectors of the dead and the underworld in service to Hades. Anubis was also concerned with the embalming process, and as a result, it became a marking of a proper burial if the body had been mummified and buried with its valuables. The Greeks likened this to Charon, with their own cultural practice of laying coins on the eyes of their dead, preparing them for their meeting with Charon in the underworld, not unlike Egyptian's burying their kings with treasures for Anubis.

* * *

When he had decided that he would take up his father's old profession, he decided that the Syndicate was the first group on his list. As a result, he spent a lot of time at Silkie's, often meeting women, looking specifically for those who would drink the customary beverage of the cult.

"We noticed that, which is actually why Starfire had asked for one," Dick laughed, "so your association with the women is purely professional?" he continued, as if in doubt.

"Well, we are talking about a cult whose tenants include pleasure and freedom from societal norms, let's just say that such investigations have their… perks," he smirked.

"Dude, Dick, why didn't you let me do the investigating?" Beast Boy whined, "I could probably get some good information from some hot, loose women!" Raven glared his direction, to which he responded sheepishly, "What? Chick's dig the ears."

"Sorry BB, but the Jackal isn't really a dog, definitely not your type," Cyborg guffawed, getting laughs from the others as well.

After an awkward silence, the Jackal reached for Dick's hand, looking to shake.

"Sorry, I think I missed your name earlier," the Jackal half smiled, doing his best to be cordial with the monster he had seen in action earlier. He had to admit, everything about the guy was intense, it made for a very intimidating demeanor. However, he assumed that something like that just happened to you after being a leader of a group like this for so long.

"Nightwing," he said, taking the hand and watching Beast Boy from the corner of his eye, "but as you have seen, my friends call me 'Dick,' kind of a joke about my, uh…"

"It's okay Dick," you can trust him, Bruce suddenly broke in. "Despite the fact that the name is quite befitting of his personality, his name actually is Dick."

The Jackal laughed, realizing he would probably get along well with this group. He got to thinking, wondering if it could possibly be. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind, reminding himself that Richard was a common name.

"Well, I guess it would only be appropriate to share my true name then," he confirmed, releasing the hand, "Jack."

"Didn't see _that _coming," Cyborg whispered mirthfully to Beast Boy.

"I know, funny isn't it?" Jack agreed, "I think my father Jeff, the original Jackal probably did that on purpose." The two sat dumbfounded in the corner, wondering how he possibly could have heard them. "And just like the original Jackal, I inherited the genes that allowed him unnaturally good sense of smell and hearing," he smirked, turning to them, laughing.

"Wait… Jack… Hancock?" Dick stammered out in surprise, recognizing his father's name as an old friend of Bruce's. That was why he kept recognizing the face!

"Richard Grayson? I kind of wondered… It's been too long!" The two men shared a friendly embrace that you might expect from long separated friends.

"I told you he could be trusted," Bruce smirked, "you've only known him half of your life."

Dick was very nearly mad at Bruce, again. He could be infuriating, how could he keep something like that to himself?

The other Titans were now dumbfounded. Bruce decided to step in and explain that Dick and Jack had known each other since he had adopted Dick and put him in Catholic school. Jack's father, Jeff, had been a very close ally of Bruce in the years before Batman had Robin around. Though they generally worked separately, they kept an eye on each other and the city. Bruce Wayne often fraternized with Hancock, even more so after Dick and Jack had become friends at school. It had largely been at the urging of Jeff that Bruce decided to enroll Dick. Both superheroes had agreed that it was a good way to keep the children out of the house and away from possibly learning the secret of their parent's, or in Dick's case, guardian's superhero aliases.

They had been great friends for quite some time before Dick had taken up the persona of Robin. Afterwards, it had always been a struggle not to tell his friend, but at that time, Dick hadn't known that Jack's dad was the Jackal. Bruce also revealed that at the time of the Jackal's death, Robin had already been in his service, but Bruce had opted against taking him, for fear of Robin becoming too emotionally involved. Naturally, Bruce always guarded himself and Robin against the dangers of emotion, except as Richard had grown, the particular emotions Bruce tried to guard him from had changed.

After doing some quick catching up while Raven tended to Beast Boy's wound, Dick decided that it was getting to be time to turn in. He had been putting this off, because he knew Bruce's strange expectation would probably not go unanswered.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N:

This is it! Again, I warn you, if you're not comfortable with M rated material, 95% of this story is fine, but this is why the rating is what it is.

As a first time fanfic writer, putting your work out can be awkward enough sometimes; never mind the stuff that is in this chapter. I hope it's something that people enjoy (that IS why I write, after all). I felt that I kept it pretty classy and artful while keeping it interesting too. I will always say that beyond any of the extra fluff or lemony type stuff, the story and respect for writing and language always takes precedence (that is why I'm writing a full length story, not a series of sexeh oneshots :P). As a result of those beliefs, I reworked this Chapter probably four different times, keeping writing for the sake of writing in mind.

In addition to the fan service, there is one pretty important recurring plot element introduced in here. However, it is revealed BEFORE the rest of the main events in the chapter, it should be safe to read that far if you are a reader of weak constitution haha. If I only went that far with this chapter, so far this story would be rated T.

Hope you all enjoy! Please let me know what you think, I appreciate it a lot!

* * *

_**Chapter 11**_

Dick trudged up the stairs and into the hallway of the guest wing where their rooms waited. He had half considered sneaking to his room and holing up there for the rest of the night.

Unfortunately, Starfire had made the decision for him. She was waiting in the hall between their rooms, which were conveniently located directly across from each other. She smiled as he approached.

His pace slowed considerably, lead filling his boots. He was desperately trying to figure out what he was going to say, and what he wanted to say; untangling the two very different feelings.

He had given Bruce's words thought. In the end, he decided that Bruce was right, he couldn't leave the end open, if he did, there would be too many awkward questions, expectations and loose ends. Dick had figured out by now that Bruce didn't like the idea at all, but knew that it was going to happen. Bruce had decided that if it were going to happen, the only reason was that, in his head, he was _allowing _it to happen.

Dick found himself getting lost in the psychology of it, but ultimately came to this conclusion. Bruce knew that he had wanted this. Bruce told him to do it because that way when Dick acted on it, it would feel like he was just following orders. Bruce, knowing Dick's rebellious nature, was relying on the idea that Dick would _not _do it, just to spite Bruce, leaving Bruce as the real victor in the battle of wits. It was convoluted, but that's often how he thought.

It was Dick's move now. He could do what he _wanted _to do, which is what Bruce had told him to do, which made Bruce look like the winner despite his true intentions. On the other hand, he could go against his urgings, disobeying Bruce, but playing right into Bruce's puppet show. Either way he was going to lose, so he would do what he wanted to, whether Batman had told him to or not.

"Hello, Richard," Starfire smiled coyly, her face starting to glow slightly with the knowledge of what she wanted from him.

"Hey Star, can I help you with anything before I turn in?" Dick hazarded, "why are you hanging around in the hallway?" He finished, as if to justify his first question.

She laughed, realizing she must have seemed obvious, awkward or both. Nothing left but to come out and say it then at this point, she figured.

"I wished to know if you would not be opposed to sharing your company with me again," she quickly said, half nervously.

This was certainly not normal, they had been together for an entire year and yet the tension she felt was certainly related to that which she had felt so long ago. She then reminded herself that they were just experiencing the pains of growing, steps were being taken that they had no experience with, naturally it would be strange for a little while.

The fact that she was asking him to sleep with her was all of the validation either one of them needed. Awkward as it may be, this wasn't something a new couple just decided to do; this was a testament to their depth of relationship, despite all of the little awkward moments.

"Sure," he smiled, "I would like that," he grinned. He took her by the waist and led her into the room, closing the door behind them.

* * *

After slipping out of his uniform, this time unaided, he immediately stowed it in the drawer that Bruce had mentioned to him that morning, looking for an excuse to go into it. Sure enough, there was a small square packet towards the back.

Really Bruce? Dick questioned to himself. The foil packet had the classic bat insignia inside of a yellow oval on the front. He would be sure that Dick never had his moment without being painfully reminded that he had no secrets.

Dick turned it over with his fingers nervously as he deposited it in the pocket of his shorts.

He pulled his undershirt over his head as he turned around to sit down on the bed, wondering how exactly he was going to get this started. Starfire laid down next to him on her side, placing a hand on his shoulder. She might just get this thing going herself, he thought comically.

"Richard," She began softly, "there is something that we should discuss."

Oh no, that certainly didn't sound good, his back involuntarily tensing.

"I assure, you, it is quite 'all right,' I just wished to express my gratitude to you for saving me," she said, worried now that he was worried. He laughed, realizing he had been tense for nothing.

"No problem, it's all in a day's work, you know that," he turned, grinning at her. He always loved how she could make the smallest, most ordinary gestures seem like they were much more important. In her mind, they probably were.

"Richard, I do not think that you quite comprehend," she began, pausing while pain crept over her face, "that man… If he had…," her thighs shuddered at the thought of his grisly touch.

Dick had remembered bits and pieces of the fight. The whole thing was one big blur. It had happened so fast, and he had been so angry. He generally didn't lose his cool like that, but after seeing Starfire being treated that way, he couldn't help himself. This was one of the dangers Bruce had warned him of that he chose to ignore, but realistically, he couldn't stop his feelings, he would have been angry whether or not he acknowledged his feelings for her. In addition, ignoring his feelings, and hers, would only create a worse situation for the team.

"You know that you wouldn't be any different to me if…" Dick started saying, before amending his statement, "but more importantly, I would never let that happen to you."

She was comforted to hear this, but it made no difference, he still didn't understand, and she couldn't possibly expect him to either, unless she explained it. He may still love her, but she knew that it would be impossible to continue to grow their relationship. It scared her. That was probably the only time in her life when she had legitimately feared that she might truly be maliciously taken advantage of.

"I am glad that you say so, but it would be impossible for things to be the same," she sighed as she looked in his eyes, realizing that she would have to tell him sometime. Might as well make it now. "You should know that Tamaranean physiology is mostly analogous to that of humans, but there are some very important differences."

"Well of course," he laughed, remembering her transformation almost 3 years ago. He now took her hand and squeezed it softly, as if to help her say whatever it was she needed to

"As you knew already, after my transformation, I had matured fully," Starfire said, steering the conversation in the direction of Dick's own agenda. She didn't really know how to say it or effectively lead in, and phrasing it in English was certainly not helping. She decided she would have to be blunt, awkward as it may be.

"When a Tamaranean woman has the sex," she began awkwardly, "we cannot pleasure or be pleasured by any other man, and we will not accept his seed."

What in the world was this? She had definitely never mentioned this before. Suddenly his will to act had been halted; he couldn't ask her to make that kind of sacrifice at this point. Realistically, he didn't think that either one of them expected to have any other partner, but suddenly it was an even bigger deal than it had been before. If he did this, he would be taking away a lot. He remained silent allowing her to continue before deciding to bombard her with questions. She proceeded to roll over onto her side, resting her head on his bared chest before continuing.

"If that man, Deon, had what he wanted, I would be no good to you," Starfire confessed, allowing her stress to enter her voice. She had known that more than her concern had been voiced in that statement, she just hoped that he had heard it. Dick now sat up, turning her to face him directly.

"Are you saying that you want to… give yourself to me?" Dick questioned, not disbelieving, but surprised nonetheless. He had certainly hoped that was what she meant; he couldn't see any other way to interpret her words.

She nodded softly, allowing her eyes to drift to their corners and fall away from his face, as if fearing rejection.

"Wow, that's…heavy… I really don't know what to say," he stumbled, not knowing what to do. It was one of those moments when nothing that came to mind made any sense.

"You may start by telling me how you feel," she said tentatively, not knowing whether or not she wanted to know what his reaction would be.

"I'm glad, don't get me wrong," he laughed uncomfortably as he turned her face to look her in the eyes. "What do your people do about rape, I can see why that had disturbed you," he said, tactful as always, referring to earlier in the evening.

"It is a crime that is always punished with death," she sighed, wondering why he had to ask that question at a time like this. "We do not have many on my planet, it is a concept my people, in general, do not understand," she admitted, proud that her culture had this incredible safeguard against such an evil. "However, when Tamaran was young and ruled by warrior tribes, it was not unheard of for invading tribesmen to rape an entire village's virgin women, severely crippling their enemies for generations. It was this that had caused such harsh rules to be created after Tamaran's unification, but fortunately, they are rarely invoked."

"This is a big deal Starfire," Dick started to say, having collected himself over the duration of her lengthy explanation. "I'm truly flattered that you would give yourself up for me, but have you really thought about this? You wouldn't be able to be with anyone else, ever."

"I have thought deeply on it, dearest Richard," she smiled, "I would not be giving up anything. If I am to be with a man, this is how it must be. I know that to be truly happy, that man must be you," she beamed, "tonight has made me more aware of that than I ever have been."

"Okay," he yielded, being lulled into submission by her sweet somethings, "if this is truly what you want, I can do it," he said, returning her smile. Dick began to realize that Starfire had just chosen him as her life mate. He was overcome with a maelstrom of emotion, he felt so many things simultaneously that he had trouble discerning his true feelings of the idea.

He had heard her talking about 'life mates' before, but he never understood that they were bound together in such a way. What if something happened to him? She would have nothing left, no do-overs. He on the other hand, had no such literal restrictions. It didn't seem fair. He had to remind himself that an entirely different culture was hardwired into her brain; this was probably what she had hoped and dreamed of for who knows how long. It was much different for him, as the one who needed to be responsible for taking it. Not to mention, what she was asking him to do was tantamount to marriage.

"Glorious, I am glad that you agree, dearest Richard," she said, now putting her arms around his waist beneath the sheets as she resumed her prostrate position. He brought his hand around to stroke her hair softly, now wondering what his next move should be.

They sat like that for a few minutes, synchronizing the rising and falling of their breathing. Starfire had broken the pattern as she turned herself over to lay half-on-top of him. Dick pulled her into a gentle kiss, which she gladly returned. She sincerely hoped that maybe he would have her tonight. She didn't mind waiting, but she no longer understood its necessity, they both had determined that they were okay with her situation, and putting it off only served to make her willingness to give herself to him hollow. She sighed inwardly, recognizing her foolish thoughts. She would just have to let her body talk.

She kissed him passionately, allowing him to probe her mouth, while moving to straddle one of his legs. She wrapped herself around him, her bare skin igniting his own. He groaned slightly, apparently not remembering that she only wore her nightdresses. He took her by the waist, pulling her on top of him more evenly.

Now more centered, they continued their affection. He had left his hands on her hips even afterwards, but now he began to move his left hand upwards beneath her nightdress, over her stomach and ribcage slowly as he cradled her breast between his thumb and index finger.

She shivered with delight, his hand now moving as his fingers spread over her, now in the palm of his hand. He knew she was satisfied, but she was rarely one to be complacent.

As if on cue, Starfire had sunk her hips into his own, slowly putting pressure on his excitement with her womanhood through his clothing. He drew breath sharply, recognizing where she was taking this.

She proceeded to guide his free hand between their intersection, not only jolting her own nerves, but Dick's as well. He slowly massaged her, feeling her damp warmth.

"Do you want that now?" he found himself asking, wondering if there could have been a more tactful way to pose the question.

She bit her lip and nodded as she felt his fingers pressure her just right. He laughed, being more than obliged to comply. She had given him the out he needed; he hadn't even needed to initiate it. This was going to happen whether Bruce had wanted it to or not, she had made up her mind for the both of them.

She began to remove his shorts, looking on with awe. He quickly retrieved his batman-approved contraceptive just before they were flung across the room.

He helped her pull her dress over her head, running his hands over her as they pushed the thin fabric upwards. He took her full, stunning beauty in, allowing himself to realize that this was for real, unlike so many of the others time they had done this shortly before he was roused awake by his alarm clock.

He was now fully prepared, mentally and physically for what would follow. They resumed their original positioning, Starfire now lowering herself to take him in. He felt himself breach her as she winced with an expression somewhere between brief pain and excitement. That had officially sealed the deal, taking, or being given, he amended, what they both knew they wanted.

She groaned in satisfaction, feeling fulfilled as her wishes were granted. She could hardly believe it, had it not been for the very real sensation she felt between her legs, she might have thought it was another dream.

After a few minutes of figuring things out, a switch had been flipped, she realized she was in control, and she was going to make the most of it.

She made it hard on him at first, since force was entirely in her control. She had managed to bring herself to tease him, despite the tantalizing pain it inflicted on her as well. She allowed him entry only so far before lifting up again, smiling at his confusion. Once he had caught on, he made more of an effort to circumvent her game, finally taking her hips and slowly pushing her downwards. She slid down his length, cringing in delight; every inch was a new, unexplored frontier waiting to be conquered.

Now that her game had been lost, she continued to take him fully, each time a little more exciting than the last. Starfire expressed her extreme ecstasy right in time with the soft clap of skin on skin.

Though she had enjoyed taking the reins, she had decided that it was his turn. She wanted her chance to just sit and take it, allowing him to ravage her. She carefully turned over, now on her back while he leaned over her, hands on her hips. He seemed to get the message because he had gone right to work. He pounded her, each time more solidly than the last. She had definitely liked this, the force of his thrusts were unreal. She hadn't imagined in her wildest dreams that it would be this incredible.

They had spent some time dancing to this beat, but it was slowly becoming not enough. The tempo began to rise, each of them seeking only to please the other. As if her normal tightness were not enough, Dick had felt himself slowly feeling pressure. He imagined the walls were collapsing around him, hugging to him. He didn't think he was going to hold on much longer, not the way this was going. Suddenly, he felt himself being squeezed, the collapse complete. That had been enough; fortunately, it looked like she had just hit her peak as well.

She wailed in delight as she felt the full rush of the main event sweeping over her, taking her by storm. She felt herself contract around him, intensifying the sensation. At that same moment, she felt his involuntary convulsing, knowing that he hadn't been able to contain himself either.

Her screams had done it; they sent him right over the deep end. The physical sensation was one thing, but the pleasure he got from knowing she was satisfied was too much. She had gotten in his head and he couldn't help but let loose.

They now cleaned themselves up a bit before returning to the bed, this time falling into a contented slumber.

* * *

Raven sat up in her bed, startled awake by an intense, rhythmic thumping in her head. She opened her eyes, discovering that the awful substance that she had determined to be love was again seeping through her wall. She really needed to do something about that.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N:

Holy crap! Remind me to write those chapters more often, my daily hits record was just completely shattered hahaha!

Anyway, I hope that the diversion was decent. Won't be another for quite some time.

Big things happen in about two chapters, but until then, we have some subplot things going on and a bit of filler that helps define Jack as a character. This is really the last of exposition at least for awhile. I've made it to Chapter 20 in my writing and it's all pretty fast paced minus Ch.'s 12 and 13.

Naturally being based around character building (which, in case you hadn't noticed, I dislike writing when compared to plot), there are some important implicit details to pick up on. Ultimately it's what drives the story as we move forward, so despite me treating character dev. like a pill, it DOES come back around later as part of the storyline.

I hope you enjoy! Please be sure to let me know what you guys think!

**UPDATE:** _Forgot to include this in the original posting, so I'll add this same thing to my next note in the next chapter for people who missed it. Flamebird is a canonical DC character who has been used by about eight different people, none of which were Starfire. Dick Grayson's Flamebird was Bette Kane, but since this is a FanFic (and I don't like Bette Kane) I changed that up a bit!_

_Also, this chapter marks the first of two major intersections in the story. The objective of the team is now redirected after the developments of the previous plot arc. Now they are after the real threat... maybe_.

* * *

_**Chapter 12**_

The next morning, Dick had woken early and went downstairs, careful not to wake Starfire. He still wasn't quite sure how he had managed to find his way out of her vine like embrace without disturbing her.

He made himself a cup of oatmeal, slicing assorted fruit into the mixture. He sat at the bar looking into the kitchen. He had sat here almost every morning for years, doing this same thing, he laughed. He remembered his childhood with Bruce, and Jack too, now that he thought about it, fondly. He knew that it had ended long ago, and he continued to separate himself from it, last night being evidence of that.

Dick reached for the remote and flipped on the TV, searching for the local news channel.

Bruce had entered the room, coming to stand at the bar, next to where Dick was sitting, newspaper in hand, preferring the old fashioned way.

"Morning Bruce, what's the plan for today?" Dick said quickly, hoping to avoid any other topic of conversation.

"Nothing, at this point, we need to wait," he said, half upset that such was the case. "We have made our presence known to them, they're no doubt going to be looking for us now, we shouldn't give them anything worth observing."

"If they bait us out?" Dick asked, suspecting he knew the answer.

"Spring the trap of course," Bruce smirked. "But to be honest, that's what we're waiting for; we need more of an excuse than retaliating against a would-be-angry-mob, at least as far as the city is concerned."

Dick nodded in agreement. It looked like it might be an easy few days, it would depend mostly on their activity within the next week. It was clear that they were going to have to be dealt with at some point though, especially if the Joker thought that they were worth using as pawns for some kind of game. It seemed unlikely that he would be the only one to attempt to exploit them.

"I guess for now, it would be best to get Jack on board with your team, and make an effort to catch up again," Bruce had concluded. He didn't like that Dick's best friend would be yet another distraction, but unlike a girlfriend, he assumed a best friend would be a bit more stable. Still, Bruce didn't believe in best friends.

"I think once he gets up, I'm going to head down to the cave and workout then," Dick mentioned, "he's got some impressive moves, Beast Boy knew what he was talking about when he said that this guy was good."

"That reminds me, you may want to take a look at this, it's just about finished." Bruce had said, beckoning for him to follow.

Dick had finished his oatmeal by this point, and really wasn't watching the news anyway, so he decided he would go see what Bruce had wanted him to look over.

They descended to the batcave and approached the work bench, the 'Batman Beyond' uniform, as Beast Boy had declared it, folded and set to the side with its red bat insignia showing. Then Dick noticed the mask beside it. He shuddered; those terrible ears.

"I didn't mean for you criticize my handiwork," Bruce laughed, noticing Dick's gawking. "It's ahead of its time, it'll grow into the ears," Bruce finished, as if reading his mind. "This is why I asked you down here," Bruce announced, flipping the bench to reveal its other work surface.

Gaping at the uniform attached to the underside of the table, Dick realized it was strikingly similar to his own; accept not at all like his own. For one, the principle colors had been red and white, they looked good, but it was hardly stealthy. Beyond that, he had now realized that the suit was designed for a woman. The V that adorned his own uniform became straps in this rendition, and the body itself was legless, opting for a leotard look, while leaving leg and arm protection to white thigh-high boots with a long red stripe and long white gloves. It was very nice, but somehow, Dick didn't think he could pull it off. In addition, he preferred his black and blue look.

"You know Bruce, when I asked if you would help improve my suits security, I didn't mean to ask for a whole other suit," Dick laughed.

"Good, because this isn't yours," Bruce said sardonically, almost amused.

"What is it then? I recognize the similarities, but," Dick laughed, thinking he was catching on. He just didn't see how it fit exactly, why make Starfire a matching outfit?

"Clark never told you about Flamebird did he?" Bruce mused, "Not surprising, I had thought it was kind of a dumb idea, the original didn't really catch on." Now Dick was interested, surprised that Bruce would do such a thing for Starfire.

"To make a long story short, during one of Clark's extended trips to Krypton, he had brought Lois, and as you know, he fought crime as Nightwing. I suppose he left out the fact that Lois had been fighting at his side as his sidekick-partner, Flamebird."

This was the validation Dick needed from Bruce. Bruce clearly knew what had gone on the night before, maybe not specifically, but he couldn't possibly _not_ know. Dick assumed he had reasoned correctly when he had thought that Batman was using reverse psychology on him, and based off of his choice, Bruce knew that he had lost his mental game of chess. Dick did what Bruce asked, not what he wanted, so he had won. This was Bruce's way of respecting that, he thought.

"Wow, that's awesome, Bruce," Dick sputtered, finding himself meaning what he said, "thank you, I'm sure she'll love it. I know that pink and purple are kind of her colors, but who knows, she might make an exception, at least in this case. How did you manage to put this together so fast?" He had recalled that Bruce had asked for his suit, likely looking through the technical specifics before putting this one together.

"It was nothing really, the complicated designs are in your weapons, tools and wings, fortunately, Koriand'r doesn't require any of those," he smirked sharing in Dick's frustration that neither one of them had any inherent supernatural power outside of their brains. "The design was butchered out of a magazine, Alfred helped with that part, but the materials were already available. As I said, your suit is essentially the same as the one I have been tinkering with."

"You said that it was nearly complete? When do you think it will be ready?"

"Should be later today, if it passes its stress test it will need to be polished up a bit, then it should be complete," Bruce explained.

* * *

Jack had a fitful sleep away from home, and it didn't help that one of the girls down the hall kept having loud nightmares, occasionally screaming. He put his money on the alien girl; he assumed that the other one had seen too many scary things to be frightened legitimately. Under normal circumstances, he would have picked up everything he could, but that fight had taken it out of him, he was too tired to be nosy.

He had woken up and showered, feeling only a little more refreshed than he had when he woke up initially. He pulled on the basics of his uniform, not bothering with his breastplate or mask. He planned on a brief workout to get the morning started before either returning home to collect some needed belongings or working out their next move with the others.

He had joined the Titans as a probationary member; as far as he was concerned, it was as much a testing period for them as it was for him. In the heat of last night, they all decided that it would be best for him to return to Wayne's place, not knowing what else the Syndicate might try if he were left alone. He didn't like to run or hide, but if his new potential-team hadn't shown up, he would've had a lot of trouble.

So far, he decided that he would be comfortable joining them if they would have him, it would be nice to work with a group of people who were similar to him. He entered the batcave expecting to have the gym area to himself, but he had noticed that Dick had beaten him to it. Maybe being a part of a team would take some getting used to.

"Fist fighter eh?" Jack observed, having quietly approached, careful not to disturb Dick prematurely.

The disturbance had apparently been enough, despite Jack's care, to throw Dick off, who missed the speedball he had been riddling, the pattern now dying. He had been intensely focusing on buffeting the small bag, almost making an art of it.

"Not really," Dick turned, grinning despite his slip, "it's an exercise in focus for me more than anything else, I rarely use a fist in a fight."

"I noticed you seem to like those," Jack said, motioning to his batons that were tied together, hanging over a pull up bar.

"Only ever on an armed opponent, the same techniques are applied to my open hand combat," he explained, as he had to Bruce.

"I generally don't use weapons or my hands," he laughed, "but there are always exceptions." He revealed a traditional Egyptian hook and flail tucked under the kilt he wore. Dick sort of wondered if maybe he was familiar with eskrima as well.

Jack explained that neither one was a true weapon, but rather devices used to control and distract an enemy from the real threat. He had mentioned that he rarely used his hands, except when grappling, which allowed him to make effective use of the tools while not taking anything away from his martial arts. Taking his expertise in Taekwondo and mixing it with Savate, a form of French Kickboxing, served to make his personal style of combat even more versatile and deadly than either discipline alone. He and his father had often traveled to Europe, but England and France had been the most frequent locations of their retreats.

His father taught him what he knew about the technique involved in taekwondo, but when they have vacationed in France for months, his understanding of the importance of the kick had been reinforced. The kids he would play with in the alleys near their neighborhood had first introduced Jack to savate. He had impressed them with his strange eastern moves, but he had been equally impressed with their own western forms and technique. After watching an old tape of a French savate legend defeating a Japanese savateur with only his feet, he was determined that he would follow that style of fighting. Savate, unlike taekwondo, also relied heavily on traditional punches and jabs, but his personal hero had broken both arms in his fight, forcing him to innovate.

Dick was impressed with the Jackal's unique fighting style and mix of east-west disciplines. It wasn't often you encountered something as unique as this. They had both agreed that after collecting their full equipment sets and warming up alone for a while, they would spar and see what the other was made of.

Despite his own expertise in eskrima, Dick wasn't sure how he would fare in such a high-powered fight. Jack's powerful kicks certainly had range beyond his sticks, and if he tried to crowd him, Dick already knew that Jack had some impressive Judo under his belt as well, however he figured that eskrima's grappling counters might be his best move. Nevertheless, against a better than average wrestler, it would probably be a one trick pony. He decided he would save that particular ploy until he needed to quickly out Jack.

* * *

Somehow, within the next forty-five minutes, everyone from Alfred to Beast Boy had been made aware of the imminent sparring session. Had it been any less impromptu, Cyborg would have sold tickets. Both fighters agreed that the results would certainly be exciting, but they didn't expect the interest to extend beyond themselves. While it would be entertaining for them both, it was more a matter of testing their skill against a completely foreign fighting style. Not only were their styles nearly tactically polar, neither combatant had ever seen anything like the other before.

As the fighters went through exercises alone, the other Titans filed into the room, eager to see their new teammate square off against their leader. Starfire and Cyborg were quite sure of Dick, while Beast Boy, still fond of Jack, thought differently. Bruce, who had been quick to follow them in, had kept his opinions to himself; he wasn't quite sure who would come out on top when the dust had settled.

"Dude, I'll bet laundry for two weeks that Jack cleans his clock," Beast Boy grinned, baiting Cyborg into a dangerous bet. Only Beast Boy was stupid enough to bet without knowing the odds.

The Titans looked on in amazement as Jack leaped, somersaulting forward in the air, bringing his heel down on a practice dummy. He proceeded to follow his momentum, rolling forward to the ground before loading and launching himself back into the air now twirling in a flying roundhouse that landed two blows across another dummy's cheek. He now assumed a position square with the dummy, while beginning a controlled flurry of kicks, alternating between his right and left. He lifted his bent knee high into the air, passing the dummy on the way up and then snapping his bent leg like a whip, again passing the dummy on the way back down. He followed this pattern, exercising his control, not allowing himself to make contact with the target, but coming as close as he could before touching it.

Everything he did was smooth, controlled and graceful. It would have made an incredible dance had it not been designed instead to deliver immense pain.

Dick also watched, realizing that he was going to be put to quite a test. He would have to rely less on his eskrima and more so on his training in ninjutsu. His second martial art was much less combat oriented, so much so that there were no sporting leagues that catered to it; it was almost exclusively a field craft. The main principle behind his approach would be evasion, as he could not possibly hope to reliably counter such terrific kicks.

Bruce had impatiently called to them, complaining that they didn't have all day to wait for their little bout to conclude itself. With that, they were ready for the battle to begin.

* * *

Both men stepped onto the sparring mat, acknowledging the other from across their makeshift arena. Jack took a wide stance, drawing his hook and flail from beneath his kilt, brandishing them as if to give light to the fact that he was handy with weapons as well, despite his preference against them. Dick circled him, tightening his approach as he wove his batons in a circular motion. He was inching closer and closer with every step while Jack remained in his wide stance, dancing on the balls of his feet.

He had come just close enough as Jack pressed the attack. He lunged forward leading with his left leg, firmly planting it while allowing the momentum of his pivoting hips to carry his right leg around sweeping through the air where Dick's face had been seconds before.

Dick had anticipated the kick, dropping his hips and rolling to the side, never taking his eyes off of his opponent. He sprung up opposite of the kick before bringing his baton down on Jack's side as he displaced Jack's footing with a swift sweep of his heel, bringing him to the mat.

Jack quickly recovered, arcing his legs in a huge circular pattern before quickly returning to his feet in a wide crouch. This had caught Dick's ankles, causing him to lose his own balance. It seemed that bringing Jack to the ground was not going to be an effective strategy unless he could quickly clear the radius of his whirl, which seemed unlikely.

Weaving sticks in hand, Dick again advanced on his target, this time pressing the attack. Jack had been too caught up in the weaving motion to effectively respond to the lightning fast twin strike that stung his shoulder. Jack knew that they both were not going to use any force that would be exceedingly dangerous, but he had been smart enough to realize that had this been a real fight, those batons probably would have stung him in the face, not his shoulder. He would have to try something a little bit more unorthodox.

Knowing his eyes had betrayed him, Jack proceeded to close them, much to the amazement of the spectators. He could clearly hear the monotonous pattern of the weaving in the air, what he was listening for was anything that deviated from such a pattern. There it was. He raised a foot, preparing the 'axe kick' he had used in his control exercise with the dummy earlier. There was little force, relatively speaking, behind this particular kick, not because it was a weak maneuver, but because he was aiming for control and poise, simply parrying the blows with the pads of his feet. He had unleashed a magnificent flurry of aerial footwork meeting every strike that Dick had thrown before finally putting some power behind one, dislodging the baton from his opponent's hand. He heard Dick's boot scrape the ground as it moved towards him, seeking to close distance, nullifying his kicks. He responded with a savate street move known as the _chasse bas_; its intent was to discourage the enemy from closing in by pushing him away at the knee or at the pelvis.

Dick swore to himself, disbelieving he had allowed himself to be countered and partially disarmed by an enemy with his eyes closed, using his feet, no less. Eyes still closed, Jack rushed him twirling his iridescent flail and sweeping the air with his hook. The flash of the ornate instruments served to blind and confuse him, very similarly to his own weaving technique. He moved to strike with his remaining stick, but was intercepted by the hook, which had cleanly caught the baton. Jack then used the hook to wrench the baton from his grasp and fling it across the room, well out of reach.

Jack cast his flail aside, now opening his eyes as he returned to his wide stance while tucking the hook under his arm.

Dick now knew that he would have to get even closer than he had before, which is not an idea he liked very much. He shifted in an awkward zigzag pattern, keeping in step with the triangular gridded footwork. That had made Jack recoil, unable to read the movement. Dick lunged, looking to lock him in an arm bar, forcing his opponent to the ground. Jack countered, again with the hook, this time around the neck, pulling him towards his body as he smashed his knee into Dick's solar plexus.

As Dick returned to his feet, he was met yet again with a flurry of kicks; fortunately, he had the presence of mind to strafe safely away from each one, leaving their range just as they arrived.

Dick, now sore, wanted a quick end to this fight. He hadn't managed to land more than one excellent blow, but he was ready to finish it. He assumed a sloppy, basic, judo stance. This wasn't particularly difficult to imitate, as Dick had truthfully known no judo at all, he was just trying to bait Jack into lunging in for a good brawl.

Jack smirked, clearly losing some respect for the fighter. He couldn't expect to win in a judo match against him with _that _lack of discipline.

Dick smiled as he took the bait. Jack saw the look of triumph in Dick's eyes as he changed his stance at the last moment. Jack reached for his midsection just as Dick moved to catch and twist his arm up and away before putting him in the same headlock he had shown Bruce.

Jack winced in pain, realizing that this was a death lock, there was no way he could think of safely removing himself. In a real fight, any kind of struggle against this particular grip could mean death, or a knockout at very least. He would have to get Dick to teach him this move.

"Remind me never to try and grapple with you," Jack laughed painfully as he tapped the mat carefully. "Your horrid judo had me a bit over anxious," he smiled sheepishly, now released from the lock.

* * *

Bruce smirked, as he analyzed the last bit of the fight. Dick had met his match in martial prowess, but when strength and technique wasn't enough, you had to think outside the box, just as he had to when he sparred with Dick last. From the moment Dick had showed his intent to grapple, Bruce knew exactly how the fight would end. Painfully, Bruce knew, didn't quite do it justice.

The two men shook hands and began to hobble off of the sparring mat and over to their small crowd, smiles and whoops all around.

They took time to recover, trading bits of their strategy as they discussed the fight and watched the film on Bruce's monitor.

* * *

The reel ended, and Dick stood up preparing to leave the batcave for a shower. As he left, Jack noticed Starfire quickly followed, catching him around the waist. He was plainly quite content to allow her to cling to him as they exited together.

Jack decided that he would do the same, only when he had risen to leave, there was no beautiful alien girl to escort him back to his room. He hadn't picked up on it at first, but it seemed to be fairly logical to him now that he had witnessed it. Dick and Starfire were obviously an item, which Jack found odd.

Even from a young age, Dick had never been much for charming the ladies, despite Jack's desperate attempts to help him. Jack was never without a girl on his arm, however, Dick never had such luck. It seemed that fortune, fickle as she was, had decided to change her mind.

After his superhero career had taken off, it was much more difficult for Jack to keep a relationship. He found that it interfered with his work immensely, but he had also discovered that his new work was also a great way to keep his love life alive, without any annoying issues of commitment.

Jack had decided that he liked his new way of life. With no significant attachments to his true identity, he would enjoy the finest things a wealthy young bachelor could. On the flip side, his superhero persona opened a lot of interesting doors as well, the women at Silkie's only being one such example. Dick had his one girl, but Jack was perfectly content to enjoy the variety, things certainly never got boring.

Let people have love; Jack would have fun.

Jack stepped into his shower, turning the knob, which then promptly doused him with a cold jet of water. He hated when it did that he scowled, now put out.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N:

_Quick note that should have been in the last Chapter's note. Flamebird is a canonical DC character who has been used by about eight different people (I have no clue what the current story is with all the changes to the canon with Crisis and what not), none of which were Starfire. Dick Grayson's Flamebird was Bette Kane, but since this is a FanFic (and I don't like Bette Kane) I changed that up a bit!_

Okay, now that THAT's out of the way... I cannot tell you how excited I am to be posting this Chapter. This chapter is okay, but what it really means is that I am now one chapter closer to arguably my favorite section of everything I have written so far. Chapter 13 sets up 14 which I will not talk about much because I do not want to give much away.

This wraps up the last chapter and also gives us a bit more important insight into Jack. Sorry for it's shortness, I may post the next chapter sooner than normal as a result of the length of this one.

I really hope you all like it so far. I guess if you're still reading by this point, I have done something right; however, I do strive to continue putting forth as best a quality as I can.

Let me know how I am doing, reviews of any kind are welcomed and encouraged. I like the validation of doing something right, and if I'm not doing something right, I want to fix it!

Thanks, enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 13**_

Dick returned to the batcave, guiding a blindfolded Starfire carefully down the stairs and across the room to where Jack and Bruce were sitting. Bruce smirked in Jack's direction, as if to say 'I told you so' as they both noticed that Starfire's hair was damp as well.

"I thought you said you wanted this suit _today_," Bruce half growled at the pair as they awkwardly wandered towards the workbench.

"I don't think this is quite your style Dick," Jack laughed, making fun, "but I've never been one to judge."

"What, being so late, or the boots?" Bruce grunted. Jack and Bruce had always gotten along well enough, and Dick could quickly see that time had done nothing to their complementary wit.

Starfire was still trying to determine what kind of game they must have been playing. Dick blindfolded her before they had left her room, but she had managed to piece together that he had taken her down to the batcave, the voices of the two other men had confirmed that. Now she was hearing something about a new suit. Not another! She had finally decided she liked his Nightwing suit despite missing his Robin uniform dearly.

"Richard, you need not be embarrassed of your new uniform, I will love you the same as when you became Nightwing," Starfire said sweetly, hoping that he would remove the blindfold. No such luck. Her words only managed to draw a stifled laugh from Jack that had abruptly become a cough.

"Please, may I see the new outfit? Or shall I remove my wrappings myself?" Her eyes began to glow visibly from beneath the cloth, her plea turning into a threat.

"That will be quite all right Princess," Bruce intoned willfully, "Dick was just removing it." He clearly did not relish the idea of his cave being adorned with two large holes.

"Glorious," she laughed, her empty threat having the desired effect.

As the blindfold had been removed, her eyes grew wide as they took in the garment that sat before her. She decided she must agree that this was certainly not very suitable for Richard.

"How do you like it?" Richard probed, perturbed by the silence.

"I cannot lie, I find I must agree with Jack," she started uncomfortably, trying to figure out how to let him down easy, "I see that it is similar to your old design, but…" she now trailed off, not knowing how to finish her thought. This created quite an uproar as all three men laughed fully. She now felt quite small beside them, she had not meant to be funny, but somehow they found her so. She was beginning to become concerned when Dick had explained that it was for _her_.

She looked incredulously at Dick, then to Jack, then to Bruce, before coming back to Dick. Why would Bruce make _her _a suit? He knew perfectly well that she already had one, and she was quite fond of it. She took another good look at the suit, noting the similarities to her own. They were essentially the same in design, however, she decided that she liked the neckline and straps on this one much more. She would miss her skirt, but at the same time, didn't dislike this new look. Dick had grown into a new uniform, maybe it was her time to do so as well.

She noted the color scheme, recognizing the absence of her favorite color. She wondered why they had made the choices of red and white if they knew she liked purple, this suit was for her after all. Despite this detail, she decided she liked it.

"It is simply wondrous!" she exclaimed, now turning to Bruce, locking him in a death grip. "I am quite excited to have a uniform so complimentary to your own," she began, looking at Dick now, "but I do not understand, why did you do this for me?"

"It was Bruce's idea, not mine," Dick laughed, "I hadn't known until this morning."

Bruce then explained that the suit was designed to be the mate of the uniform that Dick wore. 'Flamebird' he had said, had always wore a suit similar to Nightwing, and never appeared without him.

Starfire didn't quite understand, and it had showed all over her face. Bruce went on to tell the story about Clark and Lois, who had once donned the names. Whoever was Nightwing had the right to the Flamebird name as well, just as Batman had a right to the title of Robin.

Understanding now overtook her, she was honored to where the garment now. It was more than a simple piece of clothing, as she had first thought. She decided it would take some getting used to, but she decided that this would be her own self-sacrifice for Richard. She now understood what it meant to change oneself for the other, not out of necessity, but because of the connection that formed as a result of the act.

Besides, it wasn't that bad looking, she thought. She gingerly removed it from the table before rushing out of the room to try it on.

She stripped off her traditional Tamaranean garb and quickly exchanged it for her new Flamebird uniform. She admired herself in the full body mirror, noting the how the red of her hair and uniform looked quite nice against the white. The leotard hugged her in a way she found most comfortable, a strange but welcome deviation from her skirt.

She could hardly wait to show it off as she dashed out of the room and flew down the stairs, making a beeline for the grandfather clock that would lead her back to the batcave.

Dick had turned to face the entrance as he heard the door click. His eyes then took her in, filling to the brim with the extravagance she exuded.

"You find my appearance appealing?" she smiled, turning pink slightly as she landed herself into Dick's arms.

"Very," he laughed, giving her thigh a squeeze. She giggled, happy that she could make him happy.

Jack watched from the table with Bruce, both equally perturbed by the scene in front of them, but for different reasons.

"Get a room!" Jack hooted from across the cave, laughing at the two. Bruce remained stony faced.

"Don't tempt them." Bruce said under his breath, mostly to himself, speaking from experience.

Though he joked on the exterior, the expression of affection again gave Jack reason for pause. He could see that Dick was happy, not just satisfied, but truly content with her. Jack thought that he knew what happy was. He certainly knew of pleasure. He wracked his mind, not for an answer, but rather for a question. He didn't exactly understand what it was he was unsure of, other than that he was unsure what he was unsure of, but that hardly resolved his problem. He would have to think about it, he decided.

He reasoned that the obvious explanation for Dick's contentedness was that he had a very attractive girlfriend, who, naïve as she was, probably made for a good time. Somehow, it seemed to be more than that, as foreign as that concept was to him. How _could_ there be anything more than that, yet, having experienced similar situations several times over, he knew that there must be. Why else would he not feel the same content that he saw?

That was the question he had been searching for. Unfortunately, as questions had a habit of doing, it simply only asked for more answers.

Starfire and Dick had returned as the other Titans filtered into the room, showing their approval of Starfire's new look, each in their own way.

She again thanked Bruce, declaring that she will use it, so long as no one called her 'Flamebird.' Everyone seemed to agree that 'Starfire' just couldn't be substituted out.

* * *

How could she have let this happen? This wasn't the way it was supposed to work. She needed to seek counsel.

Steam lifted off of the pool of water, carrying her wounds away as it diffused through the air. His power flowed through her, not only healing but improving. The wine only did so much, it was great for enough numbness to get away after her fight, but it had no healing properties of its own.

Ari now stood up, drying herself of the cleansing water of the pool. Three hours of brooding would not help her in her next engagement, she needed to do something productive. She needed a plan.

She arrived in her personal training room, walls adorned with all manner of sick weaponry. She threw herself across the room at a plain mannequin, wrestling it to the floor before unleashing her rejuvenated strength. She drew a new blade from her belt before hacking her target's face into several largely unrecognizable chunks of hard foam. Her anger spilled over, ire thickening her blood as she continued to dice her opponent, only able to envision one thing through the red.

_Horus_.

As if one Egyptian interloper were not enough, the cowardly dog had called his brother from the heavens. She would carve his eyes from his skull if he gave her the chance. Though Dionysus was a potent God in his own right, she briefly wavered in her faith; War and Death were not to be trifled with.

Her wrath now in full tilt, she wildly spun about, flinging her blade across the room, allowing her fury to go with it.

She sank to her knees, her fit of anger now subsiding. She would consult him directly. There was little more for her to do, this was not apart of the plan. She feared what he would pay her in return for mediocrity.

She returned to her chamber, preparing a potent mixture of wine and herbs, more than enough for her audience with Him. She drank deeply, not stopping to breathe until she had downed her glass. She then sprawled onto her bed, awaiting His call.

It had been two and a half of hours before she came to. As always, she could scarcely remember the details of her visit, it was always so foggy. She shook off her stupor, now remembering the plan as it had been outlined to her.

She counted the hours until His plan would be put into motion. She grew impatient, but she knew very well that all of his instructions, particular as they were, always had been for good reason.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N:

Okay, it is here! This is kind of the beginning of the end of the second arc in the story. I don't know that it's proper to call it an arc of its own, because it really only serves to bridge the first and the last.

We started with the Titan's investigating Jack, which culminates in him joining them. Then they fight his enemies until the main event begins, bringing in the final line of the story.

There's some light foreshadowing here; that is all I will say, because I cannot think of a way to say more without giving too much up haha, just pay attention to detail is all. Also, we get more of a view of the inside of Jack's head. Sort of. At least as far as it relates to what the RobStar plot is doing. I purposefully throw his thoughts in, but try to keep it vague.

Hope you enjoy. I know I said this last time (then didn't do it) but I think I will get 15 out early, to make up for this running a little longer than even the normal length. 15 is also my favorite chapter through the 22 I have done, so that could be part of it too haha.

Let me know what you think!

* * *

_**Chapter 14**_

The next few days had gone quietly, just as Bruce had hoped they would. There had been no reason for them to show their faces, Syndicate related or otherwise. He was starting to wonder when exactly something_ would_ turn up. If something were going to happen, it couldn't be much longer before they knew what it was.

In anticipation, he and Dick had taken shifts in front of the monitor, intently scrolling through the areas they suspected to be likely sources of trouble, should the cult show their hand. He had been monitoring the industrial district's many warehouses for the last four hours while scrolling security feeds and reading news articles, hunting for any kind of a lead.

Dick, Starfire and Raven had entered the cave from behind the clock, ready to relieve Bruce. Raven recalled what she had said about Bruce's thoroughness, then looking over to Dick, concluded that this definitely made his long hours alone in front of his computer seem a lot more reasonable.

Bruce wheeled his chair around to face the new comers, who were now flanked by Jack, Beast Boy and Cyborg. As he had done so, a small yellow light highlighted one of the buildings on his overview of the city.

"Anything worth mentioning this time?" Dick inquired, hoping desperately for even a small breakthrough.

"I'm afraid not, it seems they're going to try and wait us out, I'm not sure that our time is being well spent at this point," Bruce conceded. He rested his elbows on the arms of his chair while his hands met in front of his face. They were all growing restless; cabin fever was well on its way. They needed to do something.

"What's that blinkin' on the screen then," Cyborg pointed out, hoping that it was more than an alarm signaling the end of Bruce's shift.

Bruce spun around, roused from his thoughtful pseudo sleep. He motioned for the computer to zero in on the building. He had quickly checked the building number against the list of active plants and warehouses in the area. It wasn't on the list, yet the power was on, something was active that shouldn't be.

He tapped the screen, selecting the blinking building before expertly hacking the feeds to the main set of surveillance cameras.

They had a full view of the inside of the building now. It had two tiers above ground, catwalks crossing every which way. The ground level was mostly obscured by their current vantage point, but it was clear that machinery was in use.

Bruce quickly shuffled to the ground floor security feed, now taking in the full scene.

"That's a lot of gold…" Beast Boy pointed out, as if somehow the others had missed it.

A series of conveyor belts were running in a spiral around the room. At one end, men in purple uniforms loaded stone slabs onto the belt, which were then carried towards a platform where two familiar faces stood by and watched as a new enemy carried out the rest of the task.

He was a hulking figure, looking to be just about seven feet tall and quite muscular. He wore an enormous gold plated belt that secured his traditional looking Greek tunic in place. They weren't at all sure whether or not Dionysus had a human form, could confer power to subjects, or more importantly, if he was even a _real _entity. However, assuming he was, this is what they imagined the Greek God to look like.

The man bent at the waist, leaning over as if to pick up one of the stone slabs. As he did so, the stone was immediately transmuted into a slab of gold. He then proceeded to move the slab to another belt, which lead to a large truck, where more men in purple uniforms loaded them.

"I wonder what they're going to do with all that," he continued. Now seeing his moment to be the detective, he quickly formulated a plan in his head. "You know, if I were a crazy Dionysian cultist lead by some psycho-she-villain, I would melt all that down to load into my huge laser and destroy Gotham by turning it into gold!"

This drew several quizzical looks.

"Ya know what BB, that actually sounds like it could be a plausible theory," Cyborg began encouragingly. "Except that were not in a comic book!" Cyborg roared, somewhere between a guffaw and a growl.

"Woops, forgot about that for a sec," he smiled sheepishly, "we could be though, I mean come on, who wouldn't read about us?"

Cyborg began to nod in agreement as two black bands of energy appeared over their mouths, silencing them before they said anything else. The others sighed with relief, the gratitude not at all lost on Raven.

"That looks like it could be a modern day King Midas," Bruce scowled, not particularly liking the motif their enemies had chosen, "he wasn't even a Greek."

"No, but it certainly makes Jack's explanation seem a bit more plausible," Raven started, "Midas was a Phrygian King who was given that particular gift by Dionysus… Like Jack said, a lot of the myth and religion went beyond cultural barriers," she concluded.

Based off of their observation of Midas, the Titans acknowledged the idea that whatever supernatural force they attributed to Dionysus must actually exist. They might be able to ignore Ariadne's abilities as mere coincidence, but this was pushing it. To find one ability or the other would not be extraordinary, but to find both suggested that whatever force was playing the part of patron, could indeed grant supernatural abilities, likely in the same way Trigon had granted Slade his temporary power.

Well, they got what they had been waiting for; there was only one thing left to do, as far they were concerned.

* * *

The airborne Titans raced after the black Lamborghini flanked by a spotted Mustang and obnoxiously purple T-car. Dick remembered the days when he would have been with them on his R-cycle, quite grateful that he wasn't reliant on a vehicle for transportation any longer.

They raced through downtown Gotham, making a beeline for the industrial district. Despite Beast Boy's wild theorization of their uses for the gold blocks, the truth of the matter seemed quite obvious to the others.

Though, in retrospect, money seemed to be an odd thing to be after, considering they had their hands deep in the pockets of not only Silkie's, but as it turned out, most other successful establishments in that particular industry. Dick would remember to talk to Bruce about this later. Somehow, he didn't think monetary gain was the purpose.

They quickly approached the warehouse; it was now in sight from the air. Batman had given specific instruction to wait for the three vehicles to crash through the closed garage doors before dropping in from the ceiling.

Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Nightwing each carefully landed on the building's roof several feet away from one of several large skylights. Each Titan took position at one of the openings, waiting for the three sports cars to round the corner and bust down the door.

The T-car lead the stampede, blasting a gaping hole directly through the side of the building with its onboard sonic cannon. The batmobile followed suit, pushing away any loose debris or obstacle, ensuring a clean entry for the Mustang on its heels. The three cars circled the operation, boxing in the van loaded with gold slabs just as the others dropped through their chosen skylights.

The room flooded with brief pandemonium as the Syndicate workers and security detail observed and reacted to the break in. It seemed that they had been expecting visitors, and had even prepared for such an occurrence.

Midas had put on the large gauntlets that sat next to him, likely in order to avoid turning anything to gold that he didn't want to. Initially this made sense, but Dick couldn't figure out why the gloves themselves weren't gold. Maybe just another of Dionysus' gifts, not everything had to be a mystery or a clue or some clever hint of some kind, he reminded himself.

More men in uniforms poured into the main room from other sections of the building. Suddenly, they were beginning to feel that they might have sprung the wrong trap. There were bad odds, then there were really bad odds, Dick figured that they were somewhere well beyond the latter.

Beast Boy morphed into a Tyrannosaurus, one of his favored forms in this type of situation. His side of the room suddenly became much less populated as tiny purple people scrambled out from underneath the titanic lizard. Beast Boy used this fear to his advantage, herding the miniscule men towards the center of the room, doing quite a number on the machinery in the process.

Unfortunately, nothing could ever go quite that well. Ariadne had used her magic yarn to snare the tyrant's feet, tripping him, just before he was filled with elephant tranquilizers.

The other Titans continued to fight, despite Beast Boy being down for the count. He had done a good job of providing distraction and confusion, allowing the others to get some easy shots on the enemy.

Cyborg went down next, despite his bulk and his weapons; he didn't have the ability to effectively fight so many opponents at such a close range. He was quickly tied down in netting similar to what had caught Starfire days ago.

Midas charged Nightwing and the Jackal, as they fought back to back, trying to keep a horde of attackers at bay. Both men were perpetual blurs, batons, hook, flail and legs spinning wildly out of control. Men who ventured too close to the black, blue and gold whirlwind were sucked in and spat back out in short order. Soon, those that remained standing backed off in search of easier targets, preferring to let Midas do the heavy lifting.

Raven and Starfire were both backed into a corner, only barely repelling their assailants. Despite the desperate situation, Starfire would not allow her starbolts enough power to do serious harm. She could easily choose to disintegrate foe after foe, but her toned down power delivered only the force of a solid, fiery punch. It was painful to be sure, but in the mind of the enemy, there was a world of difference between vaporization and a burning bruise.

Raven released only trace amounts of her darkest magic, chanting her eerie mantra while her extra eyes glinted malevolently. It was a good psychological attack at first, but she too, held back. She knew that if she went full bore, she might not be able to snap herself out of her possessed state.

The mission was quickly turning into an exercise in futility. Their official goal, as far as the authorities would be concerned, was to stop whatever it was they were planning to do with all of that gold. Realistically, that was just an excuse as they were primarily looking to capture Ariadne or Deon, if they could manage. It seemed that the gold was also an excuse for their adversaries; their real concern was snaring the Titans. As it now stood, two of their original seven were out of action and they were about to be joined by two more.

Batman had managed to stay mobile the entire time, never letting the mob of cultists box him in or corner him. He launched himself at the cultists as they began to form an arm link wall, attempting to cage the Bat. The ferocity of the lunge crumbled the morale of those that created the segment he hurled himself towards. He extended both arms as he passed; close lining those nearest him as he took off for Nightwing and the Jackal.

The battle was now balanced unevenly as Batman continued to pick off his pursuers, leaving only the most persistent to give chase. The others helped crowd Starfire and Raven, now literally up against a wall, while Midas slowly overpowered the Jackal and Nightwing.

Midas unleashed a sweeping backhand, sending the two young heroes barreling into the wall. He now stood over them, hands together, raised over his head just as Batman had swung in on a line from his grappling hook, catching Midas across the face as he passed. This set the enormous man off balance, tumbling backwards.

"Nightwing, we've got to get out of here," Batman called as he pulled the two men to their feet. The force of the collision with the wall had dazed them both, but they didn't remain that way for long, quickly being pulled back into the real world.

Nightwing sprang to his feet releasing birdarang upon birdarang, refusing to give up. Midas was beginning to stir beneath the rubble that had collapsed on him in the corner.

"I think he's right, we can't possibly make it out of here successful," the Jackal concurred, kicking to keep the enemy at range, while throwing those who go too close, "the whole thing was damned right from the start, time to cut our losses."

"We can't just leave them," Dick disagreed, "that's not how a team works." He was beginning to get desperate, he knew as well as any that they were now on a fool's errand, but refused to allow the thought of abandoning Starfire or the others to enter his head. Neither one of them worked with a team, they couldn't understand.

"Come on, use your head, if we're captured, who's going to save _us_?" Bruce demanded, "If we escape, we leave everyone with slightly better chances than they had before."

Dick turned to face his friends, now bound and being loaded into another truck. He finally conceded, even if they could win this fight, who knows what would be left for them to recover.

"Got any ideas?"

"I can make it back to the batmobile if you can get the Jackal to his vehicle," Bruce replied, slinging a batarang at a charging man, flailing a lead pipe.

"Sounds good, let's get out of here." Dick begrudgingly picked up Jack and made for the mustang.

The three vacated the building, but not before Batman tagged the bumper of the truck.

* * *

Back at the batcave, the three men licked their wounds and planned their next move. No one was really quite sure how to start. If they had failed with seven, three wouldn't do the trick either. They would have to try a less blunt approach.

They had determined that money was not a matter of concern, figuring that the day's operation was likely for the express purpose of luring the Titan's out. That's not to say that they weren't looking to cause trouble as well, though. Bruce suspected that they were working to undermine one of the most economically safe resources on Earth. Gold was known to be a safe investment, and as a result, a lot of bigger projects were built on it. If they could send the gold market reeling, the rest of the economy would follow. Now they just had to figure out what to do to stop them.

Jack and Bruce had spent most of their time combing through ideas, building schematics and tracking the truck's movement through the city. They had already reasoned around a few potential problems and were well on their way to figuring out their best plan of attack. Meanwhile, Dick sat with his head in his hands, sulking.

Dick had a will like no other normal human his friends had ever known, but it was no secret that he also took his defeats very poorly. Normally, he would be spearheading their efforts, but this was somehow different. He couldn't believe that he had lost his entire team. A week ago, there wouldn't have been a Batman or Jackal to back him up, and then what would he have done?

He thought about Starfire. His mind had been avoiding her, dancing around the fact that she had been taken from him. Everything he told her about never letting anything happen to her had been made empty. Though he certainly had meant it when he said it, it was a promise he couldn't keep. He felt as though his stomach had tied itself into a knot; it was a horrible feeling. The sensation of having your words shoved back in your face was truly an awful, gut wrenching sensation. One he never expected he would know.

Bruce had been right all along, it was too dangerous to get so emotionally attached. He couldn't go on like this forever; he would have to cut her loose.

Besides, what was the worst that could happen to her? They had already had made their love, it's not like… His mind froze there, transfixed by the terrible realization. He couldn't just up and leave her now, if she made it out of this, her life would be ruined, and he would be to blame, again.

* * *

Jack, quickly growing impatient with Dick's immaturity, had almost turned to say something when Bruce had caught his shoulder. Bruce had told him to let Dick think through his problem. The sooner he did that, the better, and they certainly weren't going to help his problem. Bruce already knew what conclusion Dick would come to.

Bruce had already been there, and done that. He had tried to shelter Dick as best as he could, but there was no helping his situation. As many parents would attest, sometimes, kids just had to learn the hard way. It wasn't as if they actually needed his help at this point, they were making good progress as it was. Dick could be most useful by mentally focusing before they had to go out again.

Dick reconsidered; in fact, her heavily guarded sexual response was comforting, knowing that no thug could just have his way. He was now grateful for their actions, had they not been taken, who knows if they _could_ have beentaken after this mess.

He determined that his selfishness had gotten the better of him. He had spent so much time putting the problem on himself that he was in essence, running away from it, and abandoning his friends in the process. Starfire had always kept him motivated, whether he was willing to admit or not. He did much of what he did to prove himself to her, not that he had ever needed it. She just had a way of bringing out some of the best in him.

After some thought, Jack decided that he respected Bruce's opinion, knowing that he was probably right, but he still couldn't help but think that Dick's actions were extremely detrimental to his work as a hero. Was the happiness he had witnessed the other day _really _worth the crap that you went through during times like these? He couldn't imagine that it was, which is why he preferred to play the field. Dick didn't have to keep his identity secret from her or make excuses, that was a plus, but being with another hero provided its own unique problems.

Now more sure of himself, Dick re-approached the computer console and the two other heroes.

"Nice of you to join us," Bruce said dryly.

"Sorry, you know better than most that I don't take defeat well."

"Oh is that what this is?" Bruce asked in mock surprise, "I've misjudged you, my apologies." The sarcasm laced in his words quite apparent. "I think it would be best for you to continue to take a breather, the less keyed up you are later, the better. Go get some sleep."

How could Bruce suggest a thing like sleepat a time like this? Dick would have found it hard enough to sleep without Starfire with him, but given the circumstances, it would have been impossible.

"I think I'm okay, really," Dick insisted, "I'm tired of sitting, we've got things to do and I want to be a part of it."

"Well then you can start by…" Bruce began, before being cut off by an alarm sounding throughout the cave.

He immediately picked up the controller to the TV interface in his computer, quickly flipping on the local news.

"_Experts are rushing to the scene of what appears to be a meteor that has lodged itself in downtown Gotham as of about 10 minutes ago. While we don't want to jump to conclusions, many have asked where the alleged 'meteor' is, appearing to be absent from the crater. Stay tuned as we bring you live updates from the crash site at the top of the hour."_

Dick, Bruce and Jack stared at the screen; looks varying from wonder to concern filled their faces. If it had been a meteor impact, it certainly seemed odd. Dick was no astronomer, but he was pretty sure that the billowing purple smoke would be considered anomalous.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N:

Okay, managed to remember to do this one a bit earlier than I normally might have, I'm quite excited for it and 16.

_ "Guest" - I am glad that you like my tweaking of her history. I didn't feel that there was a need to dwell too heavily on it, and I purposefully left it vague so as not to poke a hole in my made up Tamaranean physiological quirk. I felt that by deflating the sex-slave thing, it would make any sort of physical relationship here more meaningful and less sex-addict-like than in many other stories, fan made and official alike._

_In short, I hate how people (and DC) completely ruin her character. It cheapens the story, in my humble opinion. But what do I know? I don't write for DC Comics :( _

I hope you all find it to be as exciting as I do! For all of you who are concerned about Starfire, I'd like to tell you not to worry, but well... Never mind.

Please let me know what you think! Feedback is appreciated!

* * *

_**Chapter 15**_

Ariadne oversaw the unloading of her new prisoners as they arrived back at the compound. Unfortunately, Batman and the two divine brothers escaped, but she would have them soon enough, the four guests she did have made her more than content. She had a feeling she wouldn't even have to look for the other three, they would be coming for their friends soon enough. She was still trying to decide just how much of them to leave to be found.

For the time being, she had their bonds reinforced and caged them in the garage. Transporting them through the compound would be quite a process, and she wanted to be sure of how she wanted to dispose of them before wasting time moving them around.

The robot-man had been grumbling through his gag angrily while the red haired one sobbed. Their pitiful squirming hadn't been enough to rouse the green one from his comatose state. The witch unnerved her slightly, sitting quietly, undisturbed as well.

She decided that she would return to her room for the time being. Perhaps Deon would show them a good time before she returned. She left the room as the greasy bartender entered. Suddenly the red haired girl became very quiet.

* * *

"What do you make of that?" Jack asked, clearly wondering if there were any significance in the crash. That sort of thing didn't just happen like that.

Well, actually, it did, but it seemed awfully coincidental to him.

"I'm not sure, normally, it might be worth checking out, but the way I see it, we have one of two assumptions to make," Bruce began as he turned the television off, "either this meteor is just that, a meteor, and would be a waste of time, which we don't have much of." He now paused to think, considering their next option.

"Or…?" Dick and Jack had said almost together, growing impatient.

"Or, that's not a meteor at all," Bruce reasoned, "and our friends had a bit more behind their beliefs than we might have previously thought."

Truthfully, they hadn't given the cult's beliefs much concern. Raven had suggested that they have a supernatural force behind them somewhere, but Dick doubted that even she thought that this force would show itself. There was a reason why whatever it was had been working through the cultists, why bother with making its own appearance?

"One way or another, we need to get the others out of trouble," Bruce concluded, "especially if that is Dionysus after all." He brought up a map of the city and triangulated the coordinates on his device.

They had their plan, they had a location, now all they needed were their friends.

* * *

Ariadne had returned to the empty garage containing her prisoners, still unsure of what method of disposal would be most fitting for her new friends. She studied each of them. Maybe a game was in order; she always found some good, nihilistic glee inspiring.

She first approached the witch, who had been quick to bare her extra set of eyes, releasing a brilliant, rubicund flash. Raven's sanguine stare had been more than enough to cow the superstitious villainess, who recoiled in fear. Beast Boy couldn't help but laugh, unfortunately making himself the new focus of Ariadne's attention.

Now thoroughly embarrassed in front of her hostages, Ariadne's malice increased measurably, the green boy would be the first to feel it. Beast Boy scooted towards the back of his cage as best as he could, realizing his error. His mind came undone trying to think of some kind of trick he could use to save himself. Unfortunately, these restraints suppressed his ability to morph.

Suddenly, one of his trademarked hair-brained schemes formed in his mind. He had one shot, hopefully it worked; he had never tried this before.

Beast Boy, certainly not the brightest of the bunch, had been crazy enough to try what most of his friends would describe as sick, insane, or both. He had realized that only his body and most of his legs were covered in the netting. Only a plain gag had bound his head.

Remembering what Raven had said about Daedalus' Labyrinth, and being quite a fan of mythological creatures himself, he had been able to succeed in morphing only his head into that of a steer. He snorted and mooed angrily, flaring his nostrils, making the ring that ran through them stand up on end.

Ariadne was much less disturbed by the Minotaur guise than she had been by Raven's gaze, but it was still enough to make her reconsider her target. She didn't relish the memory of the Minoan fiend.

Her eyes now found Starfire.

She observed the red haired alien girl, noticing that she was now blindfolded in the same material that bound her. Ariadne followed her eyes to the wall across the room, noticing two large holes bored into the metal. It appeared Deon had some trouble with this one, it was a good thing he had been able to restrain her more fully.

Now that she bothered to think about it, it didn't appear that she had been very cooperative with him at all. She noticed the bruises that now adorned the girl, an ugly blue and purple color stained her cheeks as well most of the rest of her body. The bartender had never struck Ariadne as a violent lover; he clearly didn't get what he was expecting from the young alien girl.

Now Ariadne had found her plaything. Her associate had already roughed her up a bit, so she might as well finish her off. There was nothing left to ruin at this point, just a mess to finish cleaning up. She then recognized the clothing the girl wore, noting its strong resemblance to that of the meddling falcon's.

Yes, this would certainly be satisfying. Not him, but definitely the next best thing. She traced the dread Wadjet Eye of Horus, eyebrow and curl, with her blade.

He would never again see her pretty face, and she wouldn't see his either, she laughed to herself. It wasn't exactly what she had envisioned when she had dreamt of extracting the avian orb, but this female replacement would do nicely until she had earned the pleasure of whittling the ocular organs of her divine consort.

Starfire's friends looked on in horror as the madwoman prepared to set to work, wishing that they could do something. Raven now felt extreme guilt mixed up with Starfire's horror and Ariadne's cruelty. She decided that she would have gladly given one of her extra eyes for Starfire, especially after all that she had been through. Beast Boy, for the second time, found himself wanting to be sick but unable to look away, while Cyborg continued his steely vigil, knowing all too well the pain that Starfire was about to endure.

Blood was eager to bathe the virgin blade as it welled just below the surface of Starfire's skin. It invited and welcomed the feel of the steel; the edge tickled her brow, making every hair on her body stand up. It continued its intricate dance down her cheek, working its way to her chin with true razor precision. The knife now ran back up her face, ravenously coursing the landscape that was her bruised flesh. The malicious glint, the flash of the blade; it grinned wickedly in anticipation.

Ariadne had just been about to apply pressure as the door slid open, staying her hand.

The blade had been flicked from her grasp in a way that had made her scowl, finding the disarmament all too familiar.

"I wouldn't, if I were you."

* * *

Nightwing, Batman and the Jackal sat in the Mustang, using its active camouflage paint configuration. While moving at decent speed, they would look odd, but while sitting in one place, they were nearly invisible.

They were camped outside of the building they were able to determine was the main compound of the syndicate. They had planned on waiting until a vehicle entered the fenced off set of buildings, then proceed to follow it to the main garage. If nothing else, they would be able to determine if the truck was there, and by extension, if they were on the right trail.

Unfortunately, it seemed that there wouldn't be too much traffic, and as a result, no good way to get through the gate without getting some blood on their hands first.

The three of them decided that it would be best if Nightwing tried to infiltrate the gatehouse and open it for them so that they could slowly and invisibly roll through the roadblock.

Cracking the door only as much as was needed, Nightwing disembarked on the far side of the car from the gatehouse. The sun was preparing to set, mercifully casting shadow about the city.

He had made his way around slowly, edging along a darkened wall as he came parallel with the open window of the control booth. He could clearly see a man with his feet up on the console in front of him while watching a mounted television. His eyes searched the console itself, looking for the appropriate button, lever or dial, really whichever form the control of the gate mechanism might take.

He had ruled out everything that he could currently see on the console, deciding that they must be under the man's feet. This was probably not going to be quite as clean as they had hoped.

Nightwing inched towards the window, loading a dart from his right gauntlet into the firing chamber that rested just behind the knuckle of his index finger. He had selected a dart tipped with a potent sedative mixture of his own design. The guard would be out cold for at least the next 30 minutes and would probably remain in a normal slumber well beyond that.

Nightwing steadied his arm, took aim, and let the dart fly. The tiny projectile buried itself up to its vanes in the back of the man's neck. He gave the man a good minute to be sure he was really out before entering.

Now appearing to have a clear shot, Nightwing hopped through the window and quickly located the appropriate lever. The gate was open and it was time to get going. However, he did stop to do one last thing. Noticing a corked bottle of wine in a paper bag sitting under the console, Nightwing began to brew a plan to effectively cover his tracks.

He gingerly removed the bag from its hiding spot while removing the already unsealed cork. He proceeded to poor a small portion of the bottle on the sleeping man's front before nestling the open bottle in the crook of his arm. Nightwing now removed the dart from the man's neck and retreated from the room, waiting for the invisible mustang to find its way over to him.

Suddenly a door swung out of nothingness and bludgeoned him. Nightwing, hardly phased quickly swung around and took his seat beside Jack who was in the driver's seat.

"Man you _are_ a Dick," Jack laughed, his light demeanor masking the anxiety they all felt. "If he wasn't going to be in trouble before, he sure is now. Not even the Syndicate likes drunk security."

"It hardly mattered," Dick snickered, agreeing whole-heartedly.

Bruce glared at them from the backseat through the rearview mirrors, not appreciating humor at a time like this.

The three heroes slowly drove the car through the compound in search of the garage where the tracking device was located. It appeared that it seemed to be located in the largest and centermost building.

Finally, they pulled up to the garage that housed the truck that had taken their friends. Jack had moved the mustang around the corner, tucking it into an alley after Batman and Nightwing had exited.

They each put their ear to the door, trying to make out any noise discernible from behind the door. It was faint, but there was something, Jack might have better luck hearing more detail. All Nightwing could easily make out was the occasional solid thud followed by a soft groan. It was odd. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but it seemed reasonable to assume that there was someone in the garage.

Jack had arrived, also trying to listen for any signs of life beyond the iron doors. There it was. He quickly relayed the information, confirming Nightwing's suspicions, someone was on the other side, and whoever it was had been hitting something soft. He continued to listen intently, closing his eyes for the extra sensory compensation due to his temporary lack of sight.

He now constructed a mental image of what was going on in the room. He could hear the muffled gasps of someone who was presumably the target of whatever blows they had heard moments before. Soft sobs followed, further solidifying his suspicion. They needed to get in there quick; he had an idea of what might be going on and he didn't like it.

"Sounds like someone's in trouble," he began tentatively, "and I don't think it's one of the guys."

Dick had prepared himself for this, as concerned as he was, he needed to remain calm. In addition, it wouldn't look very professional of him if he appeared more worried for Starfire than for Raven, since it could potentially be either one of them.

"We need to find a way into there _now_," Batman concluded. They couldn't afford to sit and wait too long, who knows what would happen in the next few minutes, or what already had happened, for that matter.

Dick flew to the roof, finding exactly what he was looking for, a ventilation grate. Most industrial garages were well ventilated due to the fumes and emissions from the vehicles and the equipment that worked on them, it was just a matter of finding them. He motioned for the others to follow as Batman threw a grappling hook, scaling the wall. They both left the grappling hook secured with the rope hanging for Jack to climb.

They had arrived at the grated opening of the garage just in time to see Deon exiting the room as Ariadne had entered. This would be interesting. After a cursory glance from afar, they had been able to determine that their friends were all accounted for and seemingly no worse for wear.

They could now clearly see Ariadne pacing from cage to cage, first stopping in front of Raven's and then Beast Boy's. Finally, she stopped in front of Starfire as she drew a blade from its sheath on her belt.

She knelt, bringing the blade just above her face.

It was with all the strength he could muster, and more, that Dick managed to keep himself under control. He drew a birdarang and quickly began working loose the screws that held the grate to the roof.

Batman had been quick to follow suit, but all three men feared that they would not be quick enough.

Dick was working the last of the screws loose and just removing the great as he heard a thunderous crack echoing through the garage below. The three men again waited and watched as the knife that Ariadne had clutched so wickedly was cast across the room.

Purple smoke wafted through the door that lead to a hallway that presumably lead further into the building. They were too late, it had arrived; things just got a whole lot more difficult.

They had leaped down into the room, preparing for a fight. Ariadne turned around to glare viciously at them. She now had four interlopers on her hands, and she wasn't sure she could deal with even one of them on her own.

She leapt to the corner, retrieving her blade in the same fluid motion of her acrobatic movement.

As she did so, a magnificently imposing figure emerged from the doorway veiled in the purple gas, which was seemingly a residual effect of the blast that had been used just a moment before.

Beast Boy, now fully human again, gaped at the majesty of the new arrival.

"Holy Dionysus, Batman! That's no Greek God!"


	16. Chapter 16

A/N:

Guess who? If you haven't already figured it out, it shouldn't be too big of a surprise, you can hardly tell a heavily Starfire related story without this.

With that, we enter the last section of the story, though it's also shaping up to be the longest, there should be at least another 10 chapters beyond this, this is what everything else has been building towards, so naturally this will take the longest to get through, despite being the final arc.

In addition to this being the longest arc, I am leaving myself room to expand on this story in a future publishing. I know it may seem premature to be thinking about a sequel, but I want any kind of series I start based in this "universe" I guess you could call it, to make sense and connect from story to story. Also, keep in mind I'm anywhere from 7-10 chapters ahead of what is published at any one time, so that also affects my thought process.

The reason I bring all that up now, is because if you like this story and want another or would read another, it's important to pay attention to a lot of the tiny bits of information that will be coming from here on out.

Let me know what you guys think! Feedback of any kind is greatly appreciated, I am always looking to improve my writing. Review please!_**  
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* * *

_**Chapter 16**_

"How nice to see you again too, Beast Boy," Blackfire smiled, her omnipresent façade again at work. "My my, how you have changed, Boy Wonder," she purred, now approaching the man who she had once known as Robin.

This was most definitely not a welcome development, for about three different reasons, Dick silently cursed. As long as she wasn't trying to kill him yet, he figured it would be in his best interests to play her charade.

"Always my pleasure, Blackfire," he grunted, his own veneer not nearly as polished as her own.

"I like the hair, you could almost be my twin" she smiled, leaning into him, "but what _have _you done to your uniform," she mocked, lifting her leg behind her as she stood on tiptoe on her other foot, realizing he now towered over her.

She had stretched the truth slightly, but it was quite true that Dick and Blackfire did share a resemblance with his hair in Tamaranean style. Both had black hair and were fair skinned. This might have seemed normal for a human, but as Dick knew, it was most unsightly in Tamaranean eyes. He had never given that thought before; he had made quite an ugly Tamaranean.

Ariadne stood speechless in the corner, hoping that somehow the four uncaged enemies would forget her.

"I kind of, uh, grew out of that one," he smirked, his eyes shifting towards Bruce.

She nodded, as if she shared in their understanding, before turning to introduce herself to his newest friend.

She approached Jack, circling him, looking him up and down, her approval quite clear. She placed a hand on his shoulder as she made her revolution, stopping in front of them again, sliding her hand across his chest as she did so.

"Robin, do be a dear and introduce me to your new friend," she smiled with her eyes, never taking her eyes from the impressive figure before her.

"It's Nightwing now," he replied through gritted teeth, trying to determine her angle.

"They call me the Jackal," Jack offered, speaking for himself. He was trying to decide what he thought of this girl, she was very much like Starfire, but somehow different. Something told him that she was every bit as dangerous, but for different reasons.

"Komand'r," she replied lasciviously, before turning around to face those in the cages.

Blackfire cast her gaze about the four of them, finding them much the same as they had left her years ago. In that time, she had been successful in returning to Tamaran, which was now under Citadellian occupation. She had taken up with the Citadel and the Psions who had ruled the Vega System with an iron fist, no small thanks to herself. The various worlds of the system fell one by one as they each slipped back into the Citadel's figurative orbit.

Finally, her gaze came to rest on her sister. She had been the exception to the rule, she was very nearly unrecognizable out from under her many bruises and gashes, not to mention her new outfit.

"It's been too long sis," Blackfire smirked at her, "what's with the new get-up?" commenting on her strange Earthen garb.

Starfire peered at her sister from under her blindfold, happy that she would not need to answer, as she remained gagged.

Blackfire silently debated whether or not she was angry with her sister for their last little debacle. At the time, it seemed severely inopportune, but in the long run, her banishment was what ultimately allowed her to reclaim her throne through the Citadel, ironic as that was. It seemed, if anything, she should thank her for setting her up in this wonderful situation. Besides, her sister was already boxed up and ready to ship back to Vega, she couldn't possibly ask for more. Vengeance was only good while the blood boiled, and Blackfire's couldn't have been anymore cold.

"Well, I suppose I should thank you," Blackfire began with uncertainty as she turned to Ariadne, "it appears my sister has been packaged perfectly, my friends shall be here to claim their prize quite soon. However, I don't think that they would appreciate any damage to her pretty face, despite my personal preference," Blackfire laughed haughtily.

Ariadne had been able to piece together that the new arrival seemed friendly but unaligned with her current enemies, making her situation a little better. It also seemed that she was not from Earth, as she was the alien girl's sister. She wondered to herself, thinking this must have been why the orders He had given her were so specific with relation to the timing. Dionysus had been preparing to return to claim this girl. This purple warrior was clearly his envoy, sent to secure his claim.

"Of course, great one, anything I can do to humbly serve you and your master," Ariadne sang, genuflecting grandly.

Blackfire was taken aback by this greeting, but reserved her thoughts to her mind, not allowing them to surface visibly. She quickly decided that she could get to like this woman, whoever she was. Best to keep her in the dark.

"You may start by removing the vermin from the premises," Blackfire grinned maliciously.

The three men sprang into action, having already accounted for the situation. Bruce leapt at Ariadne while the Jackal stalked Blackfire. This left Nightwing free to work on unlocking the prisoner's cages.

Batman's cape flared menacingly as he released a series of small flashing objects that danced around Ariadne's feet, causing her to hop awkwardly, fearing the objects. In her confusion, Bruce landed a hard hit flush with the point of her chin, sending her reeling backwards in disbelief. He had moved so quickly. She braced herself against the wall, now bearing her knife.

Racing to the cages, Nightwing had about half a second to decide who he was going to work on unlocking first. He had chosen Cyborg, figuring that even if it took him some time to work the cage's lock, Cyborg would make short work of the rest. He quickly drew a lock pick from along the index finger on his left hand. He set to work, realizing that it wouldn't be long before one of the two women noticed him; he just hoped Jack could keep Blackfire occupied.

Ariadne lunged, bringing the blade across her body before deftly switching hands midflight. Batman had noticed the switch, but saw it a second too late. He felt the burn of the blade against his left cheek. He brought his hand to his face, wiping away the small lick of blood that escaped through the light scrape. Fortunately, he had been able to get around most of the force behind the blow as the blade had landed.

Bruce whirled, coming to face his enemy, now on the other side of him. That wouldn't work again, he laughed, seeing that she was continuing to hold onto the knife. It didn't get a whole lot more smooth than the move she had just pulled, and even that hadn't been worth more than a scratch.

The Jackal and Blackfire circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move, but neither really seemed interested in doing so. As far as Jack was concerned, they could do this all day, he was simply buying time. The less he had to fight her, the better; that and she really wasn't that hard to look at.

Ariadne made the mistake of trying the same maneuver again, but this time Bruce had caught the blade on the three spikes that were fitted to his gloves, cleaving the blade at the hilt. He laughed audibly, remembering her horrible hand-to-hand ability from when he had observed Nightwing's fight.

Nightwing was working intently, now onto the second tumbler in the sequence. The first had proven to be a fairly simple find, but the second was proving to be a bit more elusive. He listened carefully for the soft click, thinking he might be nearing the proper angle. There it was, hopefully he would only have one or two more to go, this was beginning to take too long.

Blackfire's patience now ran short. Her hands gave off the same fluorescent energy that Starfire had shown him, only this time they glowed a dark pink. She slung a single bolt at him, toying with him for the moment. He easily dodged the first disk of energy that she had sent his direction, but if these were anything like Starfire's, he might have some trouble, getting close might be his best bet. He lurched forward, feinting right while juking left, breaking directly for her.

An adept warrior in her own right, Blackfire read the movements and caught him in the chest with a starbolt as he approached. That had hurt much less than he had expected it might; her sister's seemed so vicious, Blackfire had to be going easy on him. It was more of a remote punch than anything else. It still hurt, and enough could quickly bludgeon him into submission, closing the gap would still be essential, but at least he knew what he was up against now.

Nightwing fiddled with the last tumbler, finally breaking the cages lock, now that it only had one more barrier preventing him from entry. He quickly entered, now withdrawing the knife he had stolen from Ariadne during their first fight. He reached for his boot, finding the blade just as he had left it before sawing through the tough binding surrounding his friend.

She cast away the useless weapon, sending it skittering across the floor. Bruce had taken advantage of her momentary self-created distraction. Quite sloppy really. He raised his hand over her, drawing her attention upwards just as his heel caught her Achilles tendon, the weakest structural part of the human body. As she rose her own hands to block his baited attack, he swept her feet from under her, bringing his open hand down on her head, slapping her to the ground.

Blackfire sent a few more experimental starbolts at the Jackal, who this time didn't bother dodging, opting instead to bat them away with his feet. Blackfire looked on in surprise as she realized that he had not bothered to move. This time she sent a full-fledged flurry, to which he responded with another volley of kicks, flourishing his legs while giving her a nice view of his muscular trunk as it twisted in the air to meet the attacks. He landed briefly, feigning imbalance as he lunged for her, catching her off guard.

Dick had managed to finish sawing through Cyborg's bonds. Now free, Cyborg quickly refashioned his arm into a blowtorch with which he began working on Starfire's cage, happy to take the conflict of interest from Nightwing. Nightwing now began working on Raven's prison, hoping that they would actually make it out of there.

Bruce now threw himself astride the toppled woman. She still attempted to resist before Bruce had released a gaseous emission from a tube in the wrist of his left gauntlet, succeeding in knocking the woman out.

The Jackal's ploy had been executed almost as exactly as he had envisioned it, except he had somehow overlooked the fact that this would mean he would now be locked into a grappling match with the attractive alien. Often times, as any trained hunter would, he let his instinct take control, his mind only present for the sake of reading his enemy and finesse. Unfortunately, one instinct was now fiercely embattled with another, and the primal ones certainly had the upper hand.

He needed to get a grip on himself, she wasn't nearly as easy as she looked, if he wasn't careful, he would be on the wrong end of things. She had managed to avoid his attempt at restraining her in an underarm headlock, while forcing his legs into a sharp angle with her own. This might have worked on a less flexible wrestler, but unfortunately, his legs were quite well conditioned.

His lower half would be very hard to effectively use against him, and she was little match for his upper body strength. Again, he had wondered why this was not much more difficult. He had seen Starfire's amazing strength on more than one occasion. Where was hers? He couldn't imagine that she was taking it easy on him, not when she needed to take her sister prisoner. Things were definitely not going according to her plans.

Raven and Starfire were now released. Raven proceeded to use her energy to dismantle Beast Boy's cage and bindings. The Titans were now freed from their bonds and began to roll up the garage door manually as Cyborg worked on hotwiring their van.

Blackfire landed a solid knee in the Jackal's stomach, having decided that she had quite enough of engaging in a grappling stalemate.

The Jackal had been kicked onto his feet and off the ground. Not a sensation he was used to. As a result, he had no need to feign his imbalance now, as it was completely genuine. Fortunately, he had recovered in enough time to quickly draw his hook and flail, surprising Blackfire.

The flail flashed in front of her, staying her punch, focused on his face, while the hook lunged for her wrist. Having succeeded in catching it, Jack dropped the flail and subdued her other wrist. He twisted her arms over her head, and then brought them back down to her sides. The maneuver had turned Blackfire around and forced her to bend towards the ground at the waist, hands behind her back.

"You may have succeeded in stopping me for now, but you will not be so successful next time," she sneered, "the might of the Citadel and Tamaran will crush you and your pathetic planet."

Jack couldn't help but laugh a little, finding the alien girl anything but frightening as she glared at him from her twisted position. She looked back at him, upside down through her black hair with its purple tint. She would warn him for now; no one would bend _her _over unless she wanted it.

Her hands had been twisted just below the small of her back, perfectly aligned with his groin. She allowed the most intense starbolts she could muster to fill her hands. The energy alone had been enough to force him to release her.

The moment he had released her, she had jolted into the air and sped off, disappearing with a wink in the sky.

* * *

Back at the batcave, they had collected their information, debriefing and consolidating their information, now trying to sum up the meandering course of events over the last week.

They had started by investigating Jack, who had proven to be an ally, who possessed dangerous enemies of his own. They then worked at taking down the Dionysus Syndicate, a cult devoted to the Greek God of pleasure. They had succeeded in defeating them once, but the second confrontation had proven to be a carefully laid trap. Now, they had been able to recover their friends, but despite that, the residents of the Vega Star System had returned again, seeking Starfire. Blackfire had not elaborated, but Dick suspected this was somehow related to buying her way into the Citadel Empire, which now controlled her home planet, and by extension, her.

It was a safe assumption that the Syndicate would likely take to their alien visitors well, probably seeing their leader as Dionysus himself, returned to Earth as a foreigner from Olympus. That would cause a whole other mess of issues, but their visitors were the most pressing matter at the moment.

Blackfire's parting shot had a serious foreboding tone to it. It certainly would be interesting when her cavalry arrived.

Thinking it best to rest for now, the Titans were dismissed, now awaiting the enemies' next move.

After the debrief, Starfire and Nightwing had not even waited to leave the room before they had taken to each other's arms. Dick cupped her face in his hands, as if attempting to relieve her bruises with the love of his palms.

Raven had managed to remove all but the nastiest of the bruises from Deon's cruel abuse, but it was certainly not without its imperfections.

She looked up at him, staring at his eyes through his mask before carefully peeling it back. They whispered to themselves, holding each other closely, fearing that they had very nearly lost that chance. They knew it wasn't over yet, but Dick swore he would never allow this to happen again, no matter what the cost.

She floated to his lips, meeting them with her own, her face still cradled in his hands. She ran her fingers through his hair, finding her hand coming to rest on the back of his head pulling him more firmly into her kiss.

Jack looked on, now having seen the entire event play out from separation to reunion. Maybe it was worth it after all, he mused dubiously. Despite having been through hell and back during the course of a single day, it seemed that they still had something to be happy about when it was all over; each other.

He could only say that if he found love, he hoped it to be a little like that.

* * *

"How could you have failed us, they were already restrained!"

"I was outnumbered three to one, I didn't stand a chance against them, I'm lucky I even made it out of there," she replied with indifference.

"Worthless _troq_, should you fail us again, we shall be forced to settle for you instead."

That had made her wince in pain; even from the time they were little she had always been considered inferior to her sister.

"I _will _have my princess."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N:

Okay so here we are. The story continues to move along, setting up a new kind of goal/direction as well as another line of subplot (which, has already been in the works since like Chapter 12, but is really starting to take form).

Blackfire's past is discussed briefly, as well as some Tamaranean/Vegan/Psion lore. This will all be expanded on later, but for now, should be sufficient to keep people in the loop as far as different conflicts that will occur.

This isn't really supposed to be a crossover (despite Batman being a main character :P) but I had to include our surprise guest, he just seemed to be the most logical character to fill the minor role that was open. I'm not sure how far I'm going to take the whole League thing just yet (I really don't want this to turn into a League story... at all.. I like them... but this isn't their fanfic :P) but I always found it odd that in all of these comic books/tv series where they save the world, it's generally just the main superhero(s) of the comic or show; rarely do other's get involved, despite it being a world wide threat.

Example, Teen Titans fighting Trigon or the Brotherhood of Evil. Sure they had help the second time, but you think that every superhero available would have been on the way. I know, I know, legal issues and continuity. I'll get off my soap box now.

Please enjoy and let me know what you think! Reviews are welcomed and encouraged, I like to know if I'm doing a decent job or not :)  
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* * *

_**Chapter 17**_

It would not take long for the Titans to discover, or be discovered by, the next part of the enemies' plan of attack. Early the next day, hell was about to be unleashed on Earth.

The Titans and Batman gathered in front of his large monitor watching the morning news report. There was only one thing that they had been covering since the broadcast started, two hours ago. They had cut well into regularly scheduled programming, and it didn't seem that it would change any time soon.

A small flotilla of alien spacecraft filled the sky while a swarm of Tamaraneans and Gordanians flew alongside, some descending to the streets below.

All of Gotham had been put under strict curfew while the National Guard surrounded the city. They had begun to slowly move across the suspension bridge, attempting to establish control of the city before the invading forces got a foothold.

Nearby cities had taken similar precautions as mass hysteria began to set in. If the regular citizens weren't enough, the Dionysus Syndicate had gone militant and had begun to assist the extra-terrestrial visitors. It seemed that the reach of the cult had been much further than the local area, as many larger cities in the region had found themselves home to cult cells that now began to come out into the open.

It seemed Blackfire had not been joking when she said that Earth would see the Citadel's might. Fortunately, it didn't appear that they had any weapon that would be dangerous to the planet as a whole. Had that been the case, the Lantern Corp's and possibly even Earth's Martian neighbors would have gotten involved, and they still might at the rate this was going.

A camera now captured Blackfire wreaking havoc on the police that had assembled outside of the station. Not long after, a squad of Tamaranean warriors, garbed in long, flowing purple cloaks and winged helmets arrived, likely trailing their leader. They raised their lances as if they were rifles before emitting a form of starbolt from their ends. Despite the police officers being outfitted with the highest caliber of weapons and equipment that the force had to offer, it would not be long before they were overran.

Similar feeds were broadcasting from all over the city; others depicting the police being beaten back by the Gordanian's or dispersing the anarchic cultists.

Batman and the others quickly vacated the cave, hoping to arrive in time to do something to help the brave men of the GCPD.

* * *

They arrived at the particular scene where Blackfire had been on her rampage, but she had since moved on. A purple flash followed by a deafening crack had shook the entire team from a block over, giving her away.

She may not have been where they first saw her, but she wasn't far either, Dick thought to himself.

Jack admitted that while she was certainly not a friend, she had certain redeeming qualities about her; it was a shame that she was on the wrong end of this mess. Of course, he had nothing to base his judgment on. His ideas of redeeming qualities were far from reasonable or genuine. He forgot himself for a moment, allowing his mind to wander; he would have to guard himself against her. If there had been something that he had learned from Dick, it was that it certainly didn't make things easier when you allowed yourself to feel. Yet that begged the question, was the easy way always the right way?

As they turned the corner, they found themselves face to face with the Tamaranean Empress herself, flanked on either side by her royal guard who each now held their lances up, taking aim, readying for the order.

"Hello again, sister," Blackfire smiled warmly, ingenuous as ever. "Ready to come home?"

"Why do you do this," Starfire pleaded, stepping forward now. She would get to the bottom of this here and now, the sooner they had confronted and defeated her, the sooner this would be over, she thought.

"You remember our good friends the Psions, right sis?" Blackfire laughed, "They have a prince that has need of you. You could call it a marriage of our two cultures," her wicked grin widened with every word.

Starfire could not believe her ears, it seemed that every time she had seen her sister in the last five years, she was either being married off or having her boyfriend stolen.

"I told you three years ago that I have no intention of being any part of your arranged marriages," Starfire exclaimed, beginning to anger.

"Marriage is a funny term, sis," Blackfire smirked, twisting words. "X'Hal knows there's nothing holy about it, you just need to keep him happy, that's all."

She felt Nightwing step forward, just behind her, as she announced that she would be of no use to this Psion prince. Blackfire's eyes had swollen in shock. Her initial reaction was quickly replaced with a devious, knowing smile.

"How naïve you are, my sister," Blackfire laughed, formulating her excuse, "you know that the Psion's created our race as well as every other in the Vegan System, do you not think that they could alter some anatomy if need be?"

The truth of the matter is that while they could change much of Tamaranean physiology, most of their expertise had been in energy manipulation. This was how the first Tamaraneans had been given the ability to use starbolts and flight. Unfortunately, their knowledge of their creations inner-workings did not extend to their reproductive ability, as much of that, including their monosexual traits, had developed and evolved well after the races creation.

Blackfire knew that Starfire was unlikely to know of those particular details, but it didn't matter. The Psions obviously hadn't known or expected that Starfire was no longer a virgin, and that was good enough for her. She couldn't be held responsible for her sister's actions, she was simply holding up her end of the bargain. If it had been a Tamaranean princess they wanted, they would have one.

"Besides," her grin now faded into a jaded scowl, "if they cannot have you, they will take _me _prisoner. I am no one's backup plan," she said bitterly. It had been the story of her life. Second best, always to her younger, beautiful sister.

Blackfire had now given the order to seize the wayward Tamaranean at all costs. Her personal soldiers had formed a ring around the group, each raising their lances through which they directed a series of starbolts. Raven quickly put up a force field of dark energy, deflecting many of the bolts and scattering much of the soldiers' tight ring formation.

With this break in the line, the Titans used the confusion to its fullest. Each Titan had launched at a different guardsmen. Cyborg fired his cannon, matching the power of the Tamaranean lances before finally overpowering his adversary. Beast Boy shrieked, now in Gorilla form, scattering his nearby opponents.

All had been managing their fights well as the Jackal had managed to find himself matched against three soldiers.

He performed a flying roundhouse, catching all three of his attackers by surprise but catching only one in the face, momentarily flooring him, while simply disarming the other two enemies. One of the now unarmed guards rushed forward as the Jackal swung his body around in one full revolution, landing a horse kick focused through his heel directly into the guardsman's helmeted forehead. His armoring was probably the only thing that had saved his skull from caving, as he fell to the ground with a thud.

Blackfire watched the Jackal tear her elite soldiers apart as if they were training dummies. It was almost embarrassing. He was certainly impressive, perhaps even beyond impressive; this was ridiculous. Her men were supposed to be some of the best there were. She watched the full upward extension of the chiseled leg as it fell upon his final adversary, striking his clavicle, likely shattering the bone in the process.

He now whirled acrobatically through the air, drawing his hook and flail as he landed in front of her. She made no attempt to fight him this time, allowing him to stand awkwardly in front of her. She knew he wouldn't attack her first, so she would test him. She would not move a muscle until she had to.

"Are you gonna tackle me to the ground yet, big boy," she purred, mocking him with her eyes. He looked away in frustration, realizing that she was playing with him. He had suddenly relaxed his stance, allowing himself to appear as if off guard.

Seeing his visible shift in demeanor, she turned her back to him before bending at the waist after putting her hands in his, much in the same way she had been subdued during their last fight. His eyes caught her mischievous grin from beneath her purple-tinted black hair.

As the others finished their own fights, Blackfire had resumed a normal standing position as she continued to toy with the confused hero. Unable to think of anything useful or helpful, he allowed her to continue her explorations.

"What are you doing to him, sister?" Starfire questioned, not understanding her actions. Naturally, all of them expected some sort of deviousness.

"I am trying to do what's best for Tamaran," Blackfire replied, dodging her true question

Despite her evasion of the specificity in Starfire's question, she knew that this was mostly true. Her sister probably experienced some perverse pleasure in seeing her squirm, but that was mostly a convenient perk of her real mission. Her sister was very similar to Bruce, now that Starfire had thought about it. Both were cold and calculating and would stop at nothing to complete their objective, the chief difference was Batman's sturdier moral compass. He didn't do anything that he couldn't do justly, while Blackfire had no such reservations. Not that she really had a choice either, the Citadel were not exactly the type of people you bargained with when in her position.

Despite her sister's many lovers and suitors, none of which had been Tamaranean, she was still in perfect condition for this prince of theirs, as far as Starfire knew. However, Starfire did not doubt her sister's information regarding genetic and physical reworking to salvage her already devoted love life. This thought scared her. She had chosen Richard because she wanted no one else. For her it wasn't even a loss, she would never need or want for anything more, yet she found that it might just be forced on her. She just couldn't catch a break. She continued to thank herself almost daily for already giving herself to Richard.

"I am sure that this is true, but I must do what is best for me," Starfire said with finality, "I am sorry, sister," her eyes now drooped.

"There must be another way," Jack broke in, completely unsolicited. He could tell that this strange girl had some problems, but she didn't seem truly evil.

"Do you think if there were, I wouldn't have tried it?" Blackfire sneered at him, "that's why I'm here. I'm trying my last option for my own freedom, even if it is at my sister's expense." Blackfire now glared at her sister, "She would do, and is doing, the same thing; looking out for herself at my expense."

Starfire now felt pained. What she had said came a hair too close to the truth, but she could not forget is that her sister wouldn't comply either, had their places been switched. Blackfire had no right to ask her what she was asking.

Blackfire, seeing her psychology was making no progress, now turned. She couldn't fight all seven of them, and she knew it. Rather than shame herself more, she floated into the air and made for the flagship of the alien fleet, empty handed.

Jack looked on as his stomach knotted itself. He saw her turn her head one final time. Was she looking at him or her sister? Was anything she had said true at all? Jack realized he had no clue about what this strange girl was like, but he could tell the others didn't trust her. She seemed like she was probably trouble, most certainly the type that did some manipulating. Was it all a ruse? He would have to talk with some of the others about it later; he had no scope of her potential for evil, or for good. Jack always liked the girls that were trouble. As bad as his feelings might be, what was one to do about them?

* * *

The team continued to sweep the city, but shortly after Blackfire's departure, the legions of the Citadel and Tamaran had begun to do the same. It seemed that they were going to pack up and go home.

The group then returned to the batcave, quite exhausted from the day's exertions. They reviewed their information, as untrustworthy as most of it was, and drew conclusions. Despite Blackfire's seemingly quiet resignation, the alien fleet had still not left. None of them could think of any good reason for this, but couldn't do much more than monitor the threat, taking a passive stance. They certainly couldn't afford to ignore its continued presence, but they didn't want to provoke a second offensive either.

While they had been discussing their options, the communicator rang from Bruce's computer speakers. He sighed as he looked at the caller ID, pressing the button to open up the line somewhat reluctantly.

"Yes, Kent?" Batman sighed, "I have a minor crisis on my hands right now, in case you hadn't noticed."

The Titans gasped as the Man of Steel appeared on Bruce's monitor.

"Don't we all, Bruce?" Superman laughed, making light of Bruce's problem. "As a matter of fact, that statement is probably more true than you know. I thought you might like to hear that as of thirty minutes ago, Gotham isn't the only city now that has unwelcomed guests."

"Really? This whole time I thought I was just special," Batman remarked sardonically, either unsurprised by or unconcerned with this new revelation.

"It seems that they have been spotted across most of the continent, I've had reports from various members of the League coming in from all over the nation, except from you of course," Clark continued, as if justifying the reason for his call.

"You know I work alone now," Batman grunted. He had always had a lone wolf personality, but it would be wrong to say he worked alone as a rule, the Robin's had been the exception.

Superman, now acknowledging the Titans for the first time, laughed before saying, "I can clearly see that, Wayne," now humoring him, while nodding to the others. "I only called to say that since you seem to be the epicenter of this mess, the League will be made available to you as we become available."

"I suppose it would be too much to ask for you to stay away, wouldn't it?"

"Has it ever been that easy, Bruce?"

The monitor now went dark as Superman had terminated the call, leaving the cave in a heavy silence. Each of them thought, some more than others, about what this could possibly mean, just before Dick spoke up.

"So I guess this means that they won't just be leaving then," he stated, hoping that it would spark some kind of constructive conversation.

Jack had allowed this to return some hope to him. Clearly it wasn't a good thing that these visitors were now launching an invasion, but it meant that Blackfire was still here. For now. He didn't know what they could do, but there was a better way to handle the problem than what they were doing. Starfire didn't want to go, so she didn't go. Blackfire didn't want to either, so why didn't she just stick around too? What did the Earth have to lose at this point anyway? They were already being invaded it seemed.

The others continued to converse, planning their next course of action. Starfire was also quiet, contemplating her sister's predicament. She listened to the others talk about Blackfire and her invading allies. It seemed that they found her story credible enough, but didn't understand how it related to the current events. It seemed to them, that because they didn't have Starfire, they would raze the planet before leaving. If this prince couldn't have her, neither could Earth.

Jack listened in to their discussion, not offering much of his own thoughts, but continued to listen regardless. It seemed he had found the answer to his earlier question. She might have considered staying, but it didn't seem she had very many friends here. What was to stay behind for?

Starfire had explained, without much detail, that Blackfire had always been the darkly colored sheep on Tamaran. She had many problems that Starfire believed had caused her sister's corruption. Blackfire was on an eternal quest to prove her worth, and occasionally, Starfire was dragged into it.

Now things started to come together. Jack had overheard earlier that Blackfire was Starfire's elder by only a year, which would mean that for as long as Blackfire could possibly remember, Starfire had been in her life. Jack could only imagine what nearly twenty years of being in the shadows could do to someone.

"I think that maybe we should try to help her." For the first time in their lengthy conversation, Jack had spoken up. The Titans each swung their heads around at him in disbelief.

"I don't think you understand what she's like…" Dick started, "what you saw back there, it wasn't the real Blackfire." Jack laughed at the irony. He knew what Dick had meant, but he didn't think _Dick _knew the real Blackfire. She herself might not even know what the real Blackfire was like anymore.

"Maybe not, but I don't think you've seen the real Blackfire either," Jack began, before quickly being cut off by Starfire.

It seemed he was not the only one that held these sentiments, Starfire was quick to show her approval of the idea. The other Titan's looked on dubiously, while Bruce sat taking in the conversation, obviously deep in thought.

"Perhaps if my sister was rescued, she might finally feel… wanted?" Starfire finished, hoping that her words were true. It seemed to make sense to her; her sister hadn't always been evil. She could remember that much. Maybe she just needed a reason to feel genuinely wanted or needed.

Silence had fallen as the Titans turned to Batman. Even Dick had wanted to see what Bruce would say. It was certainly would not have been _his _idea to try to save Blackfire, but they didn't have much else to go on. Despite this, he remained skeptical, he didn't see what an impossible attempt at rehabilitating Blackfire would do for the core of the issue.

"As long as we all can admit that we have no clue what to do against these new enemies, saving Komand'r might just be our best shot at working on the larger issue," Bruce concluded, now wishing that maybe he did have some League support. J'onn J'onzz would surely be a welcome addition at a time like this.

"Assuming we can get her to cooperate, she would be our best bet at fighting these people, she knows more about them than any of us do," Jack concurred, trying to base his own desire to recover the alien princess around as much reason as he could.

"Sounds like it's settled then," Dick conceded. Maybe this would work after all, Bruce had a point, Blackfire would certainly know how to handle her own army.

They determined that making it up to the flagship of the alien fleet would be risky business. They didn't want to take the entire team up to the ship, the seven of them would not be enough to storm the ship alone and seven was certainly too many to move around unnoticed. In addition, Starfire would not be able to go, as she would be walking right into the lion's den.

After some consideration, it was decided that Batman would drop off Nightwing and the Jackal in the batmobile. Nightwing could not support the extra weight as his wings were only designed to carry himself. He could carry small burdens, but the Jackal pushed his weight limit a bit too much for such extended flight. The batmobile's cloaking ability should also have provide a much stealthier approach than Nightwing's own mode of transportation.

While Dick and Jack were working on their rescue mission, the other four Titans would create as much of a distraction on the ground as they could, baiting the enemy out of their ships, hopefully thinning the resistance for the two heroes above. Batman would do what he could to help from the air, but he would stick to the shadows as well as he was able, that way he could be available for the rendezvous after their prison break.

They decided that they would wait until just before dusk, as the Batmobile would be as close to invisible as it could be with the light interference from the horizon. It was only a matter of time now as night quickly approached Gotham.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N:

Okay, so we start to get back to some of the main driving action to be expanded on at a later time. We have a sort of surprise guest, some of you might have been hoping this would happen, I know I like to see him utilized. Oddly enough, I had no intention of including this element until I wrote this chapter, which alters the rest of the potential storyline beyond this specific fanfic (as I mentioned last time, I'm toying with continuing this same series/timeline/universe etc).

As the story has progressed, it has somewhat inadvertently grown into a primarily Starfire based story. Raven had her Trigon thing in the show, Cyborg had HIVE/BrotherBlood, Beast Boy had the Doom Patrol/Brotherhood of Evil deal, but aside from a few select episodes, Starfire never got her own big seasonal arc, so if it seems like this story is Starfire-centric, it's because it's sort of supposed to be (I hope that doesn't bother anyone haha). As such, it only made sense to include Blackfire as a big player in the story, as I mentioned before, and this new element that will remain nameless outside of the story text, for now.

**Now, as the creator of the story, who writes it for an audience** (in addition to the fact that I just enjoy writing), I want to pose this question (bear with me, I'm going to be as vague as I can, so not to create any spoilers). What do you want to see sometime in the next 5 chapters regarding interaction between any of the potential love interests? I wanted to do the M thing in at least one chapter, just to gauge where people stood with it, as well as use it in a productive way to create some kind of weight in the story. Unfortunately, there's been no feedback on that bit (all I can see is that it is the most heavily re-read chapter by a very wide margin ahahaha). There is going to be one more section where it could be added in a way that would have direct affect on the storyline. Regardless of the detail, the end result will be the same.

**I ask you all whether that is something you want or not, because I can understand and appreciate that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but at the same time, if done the right way, I think it could be good. If you have an opinion, please let me know, I write because I try to give people a good story, if it's not something people like, it doesn't need to be included again :). If you do have an opinion, review or PM, ****whatever**** works.**Enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 18**_

Night was fast approaching as the Titan's prepared for their next move. What started as a desperate and far-fetched plan born of Jack's irrational thinking had developed itself into what would become the lynch pin for the entire campaign to remove the alien menace from Earth. At least it had better be, because they hadn't the slightest clue where else to start, Dick smirked inwardly.

The idea had its merits, but he was worried that there was a bit more going on than Jack wanting to get rid of their invaders, that just happened to be a helpful side effect of his less noble character. On the other hand, perhaps it was nobility of a sort.

Dick remembered when he had first met Starfire. At the time, she had tried to kill him and his friends, but when they discovered she was a prisoner on the run, they assumed the best of her. Not to mention, by helping this enigmatic beauty, they had decided to place the entire city in jeopardy. It was safe to say that Robin wasn't thinking with his head that day either, but look at all the good that had come of it. The difference, Dick noted, was that Jack could do the smart thing and the heart thing all in one, if that is what this proved to be.

He still hadn't quite figured out his angle. It wasn't exactly characteristic of Jack to go chasing after women like this, not when there was this much resting on it. As long as Dick had known him, granted their lengthy estrangement, he had always been the 'another fish in the sea' type. Based off of his cavorting at Silkie's, it didn't seem that he had changed very much. Dick suspected it was more of a selfish desire on Jack's part, how often is it that you get to take shots at an alien princess?

Both Jack and Dick had taken some extra supplies with them, in this type of situation, you never knew what could happen, it wasn't a regular day at the office to say the least. They were about to board an alien ship, it never hurt to be prepared when you were getting in a spacecraft that you had no control of. Survival supplies now packed, the two heroes now sat down in the back of the batmobile, waiting for Bruce.

Starfire's face appeared on the other side of the glass from Dick's, pouting. He smiled as he rolled down the window to meet her gaze. She continued her forlorn stare, saying nothing. Her expression was only succeeding in making him feel awkward as he tittered involuntarily. Dick then realized that in all his intense preparation for the night's mission, he had forgotten to really say goodbye to her.

He opened up the door and stood beside her now, taking her in his arms. She nuzzled his shoulder, whispering silently in their private language. Neither one would say it, but there was a hint of fear that something would go horribly wrong, so far it seemed like Starfire had borne her share of the trouble, maybe it was Dick's turn now.

He gave her a tight squeeze before returning to the car. She squeezed in return, thankfully taking care not to break his back in the process. She placed her lips over his just before he took his seat again, saying his goodbyes.

When he had returned and shut the door, Bruce was ready and waiting, drumming his fingers impatiently on the dash.

"It you're done, we've got some work to do."

* * *

The batmobile raced down one of the many tunnels, choosing one with a slight upward incline. As they reached the end of the road, Bruce continued to throttle the vehicle at the wall before breaking through it and out over the ocean. As he did so, the tires of the car retracted within the vehicle slightly as wings extended from the undercarriage.

Dick took in the view, looking back towards the manor. He saw his friends leaving from another tunnel that dumped out away from the property as they made their way towards Gotham. Dick sure hoped that the diversion proved to be successful, or else this might be a bit more difficult than they anticipated. He used his enhanced vision as he watched them take off in the other direction. Dick had quickly been reassured by what he saw. His girlfriend had always been a head-turner; this Citadellian prince and his army couldn't possibly miss her.

The vehicle now slowed considerably as Bruce wheeled around and engaged the cloaking device. Before long, they would arrive at the flying fortress that held Blackfire prisoner. Even from so far off, the ship was a behemoth, casting thousands of feet of shadow across the city.

They continued their approach as Jack contemplated his idea. It had been one thing to think it, but actually doing it? To be honest, he hadn't expected anyone else to go along with it, and now here he was. Where was his sense of self-preservation? There was a difference in being a coward and being smart enough not to chase after questionable women, after all, discretion is the better part of valor. He now pondered the fact that Dick was along with him; the better part of valor discretion may be, but that generally wasn't how a hero thought. Moreover, there was a questionable woman involved; who didn't love to gamble on a gamble, he smirked.

Dick was equally surprised at himself for taking up this mission; he was in about as much disbelief that the plan had made it through as Jack was. He reminded himself that if Jack was doing it, there was certainly no excuse for him to back out. He once again considered Jack's motives. He couldn't _possibly _be crazy enough to be doing this all for Blackfire. For one, he barely knew her and there was relatively little to even let on that there was any interest between the two. Second, as Dick had reasoned before, Jack would _never _do this for a girl, exotic or not. And finally, even if he _did _somehow think that she was worth this hair-brained escapade, he would need to make it out alive to reap his rewards, assuming there would even be any reward to reap.

He was doing this because she was the only answer to trying to stop this invasion, and by rescuing her, they were relieving her of a compromising position while they had the leverage to make a bargain. At least Dick hoped.

The batmobile hovered about five meters above a private landing pad towards the aft end of the ship. Hopefully they wouldn't have to go far.

"Think they're expecting us?" Jack asked, not allowing worry into his voice.

"Probably baked us a cake," Batman smirked, "sooner you get going, sooner you get back," he prodded, remotely opening the doors for them.

Just before they stepped over the side of the vehicle, Jack said something that made Dick question everything he had just thought out and rationalized, which had all been more for his own comfort than anything.

"Time to roll the dice," he smirked before tumbling out of the vehicle and onto the pad.

Dick didn't believe in luck or chance, he could only hope that they were supposed to board this ship because they would come out at the end.

He leapt from the batmobile and down onto the landing pad, following Jack to the door.

* * *

They managed to get the door open after some semi-educated guessing by Nightwing. The door's control panel had been entirely in Tamaranean. Despite being able to speak quite well, reading was something that Dick always had to work through; he knew enough, it just didn't come quite as quickly. He hoped that wouldn't cause any problems.

They took several careful steps into the hallway of the silver ship, observing dimly lit alcoves and doors that opened seamlessly from the wall. Were it not for the glowing panel in the center, they would have been nearly invisible in the relatively low light.

A long ways down the hall, a door suddenly opened up. The Jackal quickly ducked into an alcove, crouching low to minimize the amount of shadow he cast into the hallway. Nightwing had opted to move to a shadowed area of the hallway, his figure being a lot less shiny and a lot less conspicuous.

He watched the Tamaranean soldier leave the room as he unfortunately headed in their direction.

He put his eagle eyes to work, quickly noticing some significant differences from the regular soldiers they had seen on the ground already.

This particular one was not nearly as well put together as most Tamaranean soldiers were. Dick was muscular, but did not possess nearly the bulk of Superman nor even of Batman, but he was still a good deal bigger than the soldier ahead of them was. His eyes darted across the young Tamaranean man, quickly drawing what conclusions he could.

_Loose fitting cloak. Likely a desperate attempt to hide scrawny stature. Slightly large-fitting helmet. Shorter than average hair, not enough to fill the helmet properly when put up. Shorthaired Tamaranean warrior? Unlikely. Adolescent. Lack of size and hair would confirm. Doesn't carry a power weapon? Strange. Perhaps a desk jockey. No. Paper pushers wouldn't wear helmets. Certainly questionable. Unlikely that other soldiers would notice his age. Even if they had, the officer's insignia on his arm would likely deter questioning. Adolescent officer? No weapon? Not an officer. Disguise._

Nightwing sprang into action, slinging two bolas from the same hand as he drew them from his belt in one fluid motion. The first caught the young man around the waist, trapping his arms at his sides while the other tied his feet at the ankles.

In an instant, Nightwing was on him, quickly stuffing a fist in the faux-soldier's mouth to prevent any cry for help. Nightwing hauled him back to the alcove while the Jackal waited, understanding that this was not what he was along for, stealth was not his expertise, though it was not something he did poorly either.

Jack watched as Nightwing began his quiet interrogation of the soldier, not understanding a word of it.

"Rwk,k nw' giq siw'a l tamaran rww'b fwr lb iyr'dur kuj'w r'glr," Nightwing questioned fiercely.

The boy's eyes widened. "X'Hal! Is it _you_?" he spoke in English now, dumbfounding both men.

Despite that, Jack was quite thankful that the conversation would now proceed in English and he wouldn't have to reason through a mess solely on body language and tone.

"You know English?" Both men said at once.

"You know Tamaranean!" the boy exclaimed in an excited whisper. He was obviously pleased, but for what reason, neither man knew.

"Yah, there's this great new thing called Rosetta St-," Jack began snidely before being elbowed by Dick.

The young Tamaranean looked questioningly through his visor, which had succeeded in obscuring most of his face. Dick shook his head, signaling the insignificance of Jack's snarky remark. He explained that he didn't have time to discuss his interstellar linguistic ability, much to the boy's vehement agreement.

After witnessing Nightwing's demonstration of his fluent Tamaranean, the boy had seemed completely trusting, offering much information about the ship's layout and infrastructure. Jack had expected a trap, and proceeded to roll back the visor obscuring his face. Alien or not, it was always harder to lie when you were looked in the eye.

As Jack removed his hand, both men gasped, instantly noticing the startling resemblance to the only two other Tamaranean's they knew. Jack noted the fiery red hair, while Dick had skipped over it. He only knew of one Tamaranean without it. In addition, the large emerald eyes were very familiar, but again a trademark Tamaranean color, though finding blues and brown's was not at all uncommon either. Dick knew what his gut said, but his head had said that the boy exhibited no uncommon features. May be simple coincidence.

"Who are you and why are you helping us?" Dick questioned, the ferocity returning to his voice. He didn't want his suspicions voiced. If they were true, the boy would say so on his own. If Dick told him, the boy could easily decide to agree, and they would never be the wiser.

"I am Ryand'r of the Omega Men. We fight the evil influence of the Psion's and the Citadel in the star system Vega. I am an outcast from my home world of Tamaran. My mother Luand'r sent me away for protection from my eldest sister when she had driven off my other sister in her quest for the throne. A male, no matter the age, would always take the throne before a female, so my mother had no choice but to give me up. I am sworn to destroy the Citadel and the corruption that infects Vega and Tamaran." Ryand'r inhaled heavily after his choppy and rehearsed sounding recitation of his story. Clearly, the question of his identity is one that he had gotten often.

This was who Dick thought it was; it explained the missing power weapon that a normal soldier should probably have had. Tamaranean's of ruling blood had the ability to manipulate energy and focus it so powerfully that the aid of a weapon was not necessary. What didn't make sense was why Ryand'r trusted him. However, that wasn't important right now; they had more important things to do. Hopefully with Ryand'r's help, they could complete their mission.

"How did you know that I was not of age?" He questioned, apparently thinking he had done quite a job of fixing himself up.

"You could use some muscle," Nightwing laughed, "but the hair was a dead giveaway."

Jack did not understand any of this, it certainly had not helped that the conversation was now in English.

"Omega Men? Hair?" He questioned, worrying this was quickly becoming a distraction from their objective.

"The Omega Men are the Vegan versions of your 'Lantern Corps,' since the Psion's have banned them from travel in the sector," Ryand'r offered helpfully. "Also, male Tamaranean's hair does not grow out until after we have reached approximately fifteen Earth years, and it takes three more to grow to its full length, it is a sign of maturity in my culture."

Suddenly, it all made sense. Wait, no it didn't, it just made Jack think of more questions. This was not the time.

"Well then it's fair you should know that we're no friends of the Psion's or the Citadel either, were here to rescue Tamaran's princess," Nightwing told him quietly before sticking his head out into the hallway again, making sure the coast was still clear.

"But they do not have custody of Koriand'r," the boy said, now unsure of the situation, "that is why they came here; to retrieve her."

Both men now feigned ignorance, knowing fully what the boy spoke of, but thinking better of allowing him to know all of their information just yet.

"Who is this '_Star Fire_'you speak of?" Dick said, putting him on, "we are here for Komand'r."

"But she is evil!" He exclaimed at the top of his whisper, "She has no friends, why do you wish to save _her_," he questioned, force now entering his own voice.

At this, both men smirked visibly. The boy certainly knew what he was talking about; being the girls' younger brother certainly had its insights.

"We know," Jack began evenly, "perhaps if she had some, she wouldn't be quite so evil."

Ryand'r looked at them skeptically, unsure what to make of them, especially the pointy-eared one. He could not see the advantage of taking Komand'r from the Citadel fleet.

"Do you trust me?" Nightwing asked, only managing to draw a blank look. Growing frustrated, he repeated himself again after first running a gauntlet threw his parted bangs and hair.

Ryand'r, now noticing that the strange man wore his hair in the fashion of a Tamaranean warrior prince, recalled his ability to speak Ryand'r's native tongue fluently. Faith returned to his face and decided that he would offer his assistance to the two strange heroes.

Perhaps this was the man that would stop the Citadel. Ryand'r could only hope. X'Hal damn him to the fires of Gwk'k should he not play his part in helping this strange man halt the Citadellian invasion.

One thing nagged at him still. He could not help but worry for his sister Koriand'r. They said that they had no news of her, could they be lying? How could men such as these, who take such an active role against the invaders not know of his sister or be capable of such deception?

He could not blame them if they had lied to him, he would just have to earn their trust, and he knew just how he could do it.

"Follow me, I shall take you to the block of prisons," he beckoned, now released by his captors.

Yep, this was seeming more and more like it could really be Star's brother, Dick laughed to himself. If he was who he said he was, he would be invaluable on their mission.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N:

Sorry for the wait, I know 4-5 days isn't bad when you consider how often other authors update their stories, but I like to get mine out pretty quickly. The reason for this is that as I go into the final chapters, I have suffered from a drought of inspiration. I know where the story is going, just unsure of how I want to get it there.

I suppose that, more than anything else, however I decide to get the final bits of plot moving, I want it to be excellent. Every chapter is important, as is every section of a story, but the climax/resolution is somehow different than the rest. I want to be sure that it does exactly what I want it to and be of very good quality, as opposed to just writing for the sake of getting something published and finishing up. It's the final portion of everything I've done thus far, so naturally, it needs to do the rest of the story justice.

Anyway, enough of that. Just wanted to explain why things might start to slow down. My writing process has just become much more thorough is all, currently I'm finishing up Ch. 23, so as of Ch. 19, there is still a fair bit of story left.

So about THIS chapter... We get a glimpse of the real enemy in the whole thing, we sort of discover a major plot element prevalent throughout the next few chapters and get more hints at what might come after this.

Hope you like it, as always, let me know what you think, reviews are welcome!

Woops, speaking of reviews, almost forgot! It seems I have some explaining to do.

**- Deflow:**

I know Blackfire isn't exactly a nice character, or generally isn't portrayed that way, HOWEVER, lets take what you said and then look at it from Blackfire's point of view. This is explained later in the story, but perhaps I should drop a spoiler or two to explain the history.

Starfire was betrayed by Blackfire, not her entire family. By the time Blackfire had sent her sister off, her parents were dead and her brother was missing. Blackfire, in a sense, was the one who was betrayed or abused by her family because she was different. She should've been next in line for the throne but her parents didn't like her hair, skin, lack of flight etc. Generally speaking, the firstborn is treated well, the youngest is treated well and the middle child gets the shaft. Ironically, Blackfire kind of got the short end of the stick and Starfire was the one that had it all going on (until Blackfire sold her into slavery, which, as another review mentioned and another chapter implied was not sexual in my particular version).

All of the above is correct in ONE of the 2-3 main universe/cannon/storylines. In other storylines, Blackfire was taken prisoner as well and they were both experimented on by the Psions with ultraviolet radiation which is how they could fly and shoot starbolts (those two abilities not being unique to Tamaranean physiology).

Another also gives yet another reason why Blackfire was hated (by all of Tamaran) and that is that on the day of her birth, the Citadel invaded and killed 3000 Tamaraneans in Blackfire's name. That pretty much gave her a bad wrap right from the get go, she didn't even have to prove she was bad. It begs the question: Are people intrinsically evil, or are they evil as a result of their environment?

**TL:DR -** No one's idea of her character can be called right or wrong due to differing continuities. Besides, this is fanfiction. I try to stick true to the histories and facts of the main continuities and timelines and work up from there. Blackfire isn't intended to be a sweet character, but as a character that is important to the story, needed development, so naturally when explaining her past, who knows it better than herself? Need to look at it through her eyes, not your own.

Do not be too quick to judge, we haven't even seen any serious development from her yet. :)

_"Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?"_

-Glinda in "_Wicked"_

* * *

_**Chapter 19**_

"This way, friends!" He called softly over his shoulder.

They had moved at a wary trot since leaving the alcove. Ryand'r had explained that most of the men who would normally be walking the halls were down on Earth's surface; apparently, a group had shown resistance to the invasion below.

The two men jogged after him, also being sure to proceed with caution. They didn't distrust the boy, but they would not allow themselves to rest on his own discretion.

They took several turns before arriving at an elevator lift. Ryand'r quickly punched in the buttons and scanned a clearance tag, summoning a capsule to lower them into the bowels of the ship where the prison block was located.

Ryand'r had warned them that when they exited the elevator, multiple guards would likely meet them. They debated their options, opting to pretend to be prisoners. This way, they could maintain their stealth while exploring the cellblock, searching for Blackfire while they operated under the pretense of being taken to their own cells.

The wall split open as the car came to a halt, revealing a security team very similar to what Ryand'r had told them to expect.

Ryand'r saluted, which all of the guards returned abruptly, noting the officer's insignia. He spoke to them gruffly, perhaps over doing it slightly, but the harshness of the language helped to mask his poor voice acting, otherwise, he was fairly convincing.

Dick listened in on their conversation. Apparently, Blackfire wasn't being held here after all. Ryand'r had explained that they were very dangerous prisoners that would be held in maximum security in Blackfire's cellblock. However, it was revealed that the prince had requested her company in her chambers. Dick winced, causing Jack to turn to him covertly, only able to imagine what he had heard.

Jack thought that this conversation was going on much too long. Dick's reaction certainly reinforced the worry that something might have gone wrong. Hopefully Blackfire would be okay, they shouldn't be far now, with any luck, this bad news didn't have anything to do with her. Or them either, he thought, now that he had reassessed the situation.

Ryand'r saluted again, then took them both and dragged them into the grid of cells, taking them around a corner and out of sight of the guards.

"I am afraid that there is some bad news," he began uncomfortably, "Blackfire is not here, she is on the opposite side of the ship, and the warden will not let me take you to her despite my 'orders' to have you confined with her."

"Don't you out rank him? Show him who's boss," Jack suggested, taking his own advice with Ryand'r. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite that simple.

"As far as the warden is concerned, I am doing my job, she would normally be confined here were she not with in the royal chambers," he sputtered, hoping that he wouldn't have to explain the significance.

Dick now realized the gravity of the situation. Ryand'r probably wouldn't know to tell and Jack just didn't _know_; he would keep this bit of information to himself, but if Jack held any illusions of a future, they would have to act quickly, or else his visions would be as illusory as Dick already suspected.

"What options does that leave us?" Dick questioned thoughtfully, "You can't exactly escort us all over the ship if we're supposed to be prisoners." This might just get ugly. Hopefully they could contain it to a manageable level, the three of them would be a formidable team, but the enemy had a little more than a team.

"I think that we are only left with one," Ryand'r admitted, confirming Dick's fear. "We will not be able to leave here except by force, and once we have done that, news will spread. It will not be instant, but we will be on borrowed time."

Jack cracked his knuckles, probably for emphasis, because both men knew it was rare that he used his hands.

Ryand'r now called out for help and banged on the wall of block, alerting the guards towards the front of the complex.

As the wardens turned the corner, Ryand'r had thrown himself on the floor beside Nightwing who flashed a birdarang from either hand, catching the two guards flanking the captain cleanly in the space left for sight by the visor. The birdarangs emitted a powerful sleeping gas that quickly floored the two guards and began to fill the room.

Jack cartwheeled towards the approaching enemy just before hooking his legs around the captain's neck and bringing him to the ground with the next rotation of his torso.

The job had taken all of five seconds. Ryand'r stood up, astounded by the incredible fighting prowess exhibited by his new friends. He definitely looked like a boy now, completely taken in by how 'cool' they were. It was as if they were superheroes out of a comic book, he thought to himself, still amazed.

They quickly made their way past the fallen guards. Dick was sure to inject each of the three with his sleep serum housed in his specialty darts. The gas was good for a quick knockout, but the longer these guys were out, the better. They didn't need the whole ship knowing they had been infiltrated in the next ten minutes. Moreover, there was no telling how quickly their alien physiologies would metabolize the powerful drug. Dick always assumed the worst. He gave them about twenty minutes.

Now in the lift, Ryand'r quizzed them about their fighting styles and equipment, still taken with their incredible ability. He had trained all over the universe in different martial arts to learn from the best; he knew masters of a craft when he saw them.

Ryand'r observed the strange man's hair, figure, fighting ability while noting his speech abilities. This was certainly him. He had never found someone who had matched the qualities so specifically; it was almost too good to be true.

"So you know nothing of my other sister?" He quested, still not satisfied. They would have a much longer chance to talk now as they rode the lift to the highest floor.

"If we had?" Jack answered evenly, wanting to uncover the fascination without admitting anything.

"It just seems like you should," he reasoned, "why would you help Komand'r who you do not know and has not lived here, how does _he _know Tamaranean and why do you dodge the question?" Ryand'r was definitely quick, he had unraveled a gaping hole in their story, and not much of what he asked was easily explainable without admitting to their knowledge of Starfire.

"The truth," Nightwing prefaced, before weaving a string of lies, "is that we do know of her, but that is as far as the relation goes. I learned Tamaranean on an extended stay in the sector when working with the Lantern Corp's during the Rann-Thanagar war." Jack looked at him imperceptibly from the corner of his canine eyes. Damn he was good. Dick managed to give up just enough knowledge to disarm any suspicion but also had come up with a decent reason to know the language.

Though it was comforting to know that this man had seen combat on Rann and already helped to liberate another civilization, this was certainly not what he was hoping for.

"Oh," Ryand'r said, seemingly disappointed, "if this ends up all right, I think she would very much like to meet you," he put in hopefully. Despite their separation, the minimal contact he had been able to keep with his sister over the years gave him the basis he needed to make that assumption. Besides, he was effectively the true Emperor of Tamaran, and he knew that this strange man was much more than he appeared. If he wished for his sister to meet him, it would be so.

"Perhaps," Nightwing smiled, deciding he liked the boy.

"At very least," Ryand'r began to amend, "I would like you to be acquainted."

Dick then remembered that this boy was Starfire's political superior. It wasn't uncommon for the head of Tamaranean royal families to marry their siblings or available family out to others, similarly to what Blackfire did; only it generally wasn't as subversive as that had been.

If that were the case, Ryand'r took Dick to be a lot more than he really was. Sure, he was intelligent, strong and a hero by the standards of his own people, but that was hardly worth being arranged to a beautiful warrior princess of a faraway star system. Ryand'r's blessing was not something Dick felt he needed, but earning it certainly honored him, if this is what it turned out to be. He would continue to play along with this story. We'll see how Ryand'r felt about him by the end of the mission.

The doors now slid open again, this time in a different position than they had previously, leaving Jack and Dick standing pointed awkwardly in the wrong direction.

Ryand'r left the lift first, checking both directions before signaling safety. They stepped out into the bright and colorful hallway. This was certainly different from the hallways they had been in last. The purple color and the lighted walkways had proven a stark contrast from the utilitarian look of the lower decks, which ran on lower power.

They quickly hurried down the hallway, avoiding directly standing in front of the panels that had revealed the doors from the passage. They didn't want to be standing directly in the enemies crosshairs should one appear in a doorway.

Ryand'r turned to warn them that they would have to pass through one of the control rooms located in the 'spine' of the ship before reaching the starboard side where the prince's chambers were located. Fortunately, the whir of electronics would mask most sound while the darkness of the room should hide their figures. The room was kept fairly dark so as not to overload the power to the room filled with computers and ship readout equipment.

The two men edged into the room behind the boy whose arrival would not seem unordinary. His officer's outfit was certainly more useful than a normal soldier's, good call on the kid's part, Dick thought.

They slowly made their way across the room, pressed against a wall on a catwalk that moved along the perimeter of the large rectangular room. The Tamaranean technicians sat several feet below in cubicles, each now finding a new reason to focus intently on their readouts with the presence of the officer. Thankfully, his intimidation discouraged any direct looks.

His cloak billowed out as he walked, giving them slight cover to move behind, it wasn't much, but it was better than being completely unobstructed. They were about to exit through the door leading to the opposite side of the ship when another Tamaranean officer entered through it. Ryand'r saluted nervously, hoping that his would not turn into any kind of conversation.

The other officer saluted back, unsure of himself at first. Dick noticed that even in old age, Tamaranean's were a fortuitous race of people; they had truly been everything one would expect of a warrior race.

The man spoke huskily to Ryand'r, further betraying his age. It was now that Dick noticed the man's eye patch. Thank X'Hal that this man only had one eye, which to be fair, likely had natural problems of its own.

After some obligatory small talk, Ryand'r was able to allow the man to pass before he and his two friends left the darkness for the light of the hallway. Ryand'r now signaled that the large double doors at the end of the hallway was the beginning of the apartment that should be where Komand'r could be found.

The three proceeded with caution, realizing that from this point forward, the rest of the way would likely be very messy. They approached the door, unmanned by guards for the moment. These doors, in addition to being visible, were different from any other they had seen on the ship. The locking mechanism was entirely different. It appeared that entry required a retinal scan, and it was quite unlikely any of them were on the list, using it would only alert the residents.

"Stand back, we shall only be able to gain entry one way," Ryand'r said, now more stoic than either man had seen him so far.

His eyes now glowered a fierce blue as he rose into the air slightly, leveling himself with the center of the door. The same blue fire crackled in his palms as filled his widening orbs. He brought his hands together before lifting them over his head, all the while the electric blue bolts intensified in power. Ryand'r now brought them back down from over his head, as if striking an invisible anvil with a hammer, sending the most powerful starbolt that Nightwing had ever seen hurtling towards the door.

The two men stood dumbfounded as Ryand'r, now in a righteous rage charged the smoldering remains of the door, flying through the wreckage feet first. They shook off their stupor before charging after him through the doorway now alight with blue flame.

They entered the apartment, gaping at the state of the room, it had been ten seconds and Ryand'r had succeeded in replicating nuclear fallout on a suite-sized scale. To the two men's surprise, Ryand'r continued through the apartment in search of the Citadellian prince and Blackfire, completely bypassing the guest sitting in the first room. Why couldn't his wrath have made its way in her direction too?

Jack looked at Nightwing, who motioned for him to go on. Dick had a personal score to settle with this one. The Jackal raced off in the direction of the wreckage while Nightwing turned to face his opponent.

He considered his options, thinking a snare of some kind would be more effective than a full on fight, they were officially on the clock, time was life.

"You dare stand against the divine power of Dionysus?" She laughed; Ariadne had witnessed the might of the Tamaranean and Citadellian power, but misplaced it badly.

"Save it, lady, I don't have time for this right now," Nightwing growled back, it was unfortunate, because he wanted to relish in the pain he would inflict, but now was not the time.

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere soon, but your eagerness is refreshing. I too am excited to extract my prize," she said, eyeing him hungrily.

Nightwing didn't have time for more banter, time to get this over with. He released a bola aimed for her hands; unfortunately, the sabre she had carried at her side diced that plan quite deftly. He had yet to seen her use such a large blade, this could be more difficult than he thought.

* * *

Jack dove into the prince's private quarters, which so far, was the only room not completely trashed by his fiendish friend. Ryand'r floated in an intense, angry silence directly across from where the Citadellian Prince sat with a bound Blackfire on his bed.

The gleaming man used a form of energy manipulation similar to the Tamaranean starbolts, but seemingly more potent and focused. Less explosive and more surgical.

The two were locked in a fierce but calm duel, sending blasts of energy back and forth almost in a turn like sequence.

The metallic looking man, now standing, threw another bolt that Ryand'r cleanly caught in his glowing palm, just before his brow. The energy now seemed to dissipate in his hands, diffusing from the grip of his fist. It was now Ryand'r's turn to throw the next blast. He tucked both hands to his side and drew them back, preparing to launch one final strike.

Jack could see him tiring, even in his adrenalized state his energy was deteriorating. He wasn't sure how much more he could give. The blast was the most he had released since breaking down the door, it was an act of desperation, if this didn't do it, he would be spent.

It was a valiant effort, but he had already spent so much in breaching the apartment that he didn't have enough left for their mutual enemy. The man laughed, malice dancing on his breath as he raised a single finger. Seeing this, the Jackal charged the metallic man, hoping to misdirect his fatal strike.

He leaped through the air, very nearly flying, as he drew his hook and flail. Ryand'r fell to his knees, eyes now flickering. The strength was draining from him as the Citadellian Prince drew a bead on him, preparing an arc of sizzling energy for the young Emperor's forehead.

Sparks ignited his metallic fingertips shooting across the room in jagged chains. Light flashed in Ryand'r's eyes, but not his own; it was the light of the bolt that was meant for him.

* * *

Nightwing drew his eskrima sticks, fixing them together to form his old weapon of choice, the bo staff. He was going to want all the range he could get on this woman. He had never known her to be a great fighter, but he had never seen her with a sword, and that wasn't something that you wanted to gamble with.

The two circled each other briefly, brandishing their weapons. Finally, Ariadne broke the pattern and charged. Nightwing braced himself against his staff and ran along the wall briefly, dodging the lunge before whirling full circle to land a kick with all of his centrifugal force behind it.

She smacked into the wall, only barely retaining her grip on the sabre. Nightwing pressed the attack, showing none of his usual mercy or class. He spun his staff overhead before bringing it down right where her head been only a split second before.

As she rolled away, she succeeded in taking Nightwing's feet out from under him, flooring him. Nightwing quickly rolled to the side as her blade flashed before him, leaving a gash in the floor where he had laid.

Ariadne now stood and waited for him to press the attack, realizing that whenever she had attacked him in the past, she was usually countered quite effectively. Time to change the game plan a bit.

Nightwing launched two birdarangs from his free hand, catching her off guard. While she attempted to dodge the projectiles, Nightwing managed a clean blow on her cheek, jarring her. Despite the force, she quickly recovered, again waiting. She would not be so easily fooled next time.

Nightwing tried the same ploy, but this time Ariadne waited for the strike and managed to slap the staff away from her and out of his grip with the flat of the blade. It rolled uselessly across the room as Ariadne moved to interdict his path towards the weapon, again forcing him to back off.

She smiled evilly, knowing that despite his martial prowess, dueling without a weapon was still a task. Bolstered by her confidence, she struck again. She brought her blade down in a vicious overhead slash, which was caught between the palms of Nightwing's nearly indestructible gloves just before it met his forehead.

She pulled her blade back before allowing him the chance to disarm her, quickly returning to feint a cross body slash before coming back around with a vicious strike on Nightwing's chin with the pommel of her weapon.

Dazed though he was, Nightwing was smart enough to allow gravity to take him down, allowing him to fall away from her next hack, this one meant for his neck.

She put a bit too much on that last attack. Her blade was now lodged in the wall and wasn't giving way easily. Nightwing rolled towards the door, his eyes never leaving his opponent. As he came to his feet in a low crouch, he caught her with a sedative dart in the side of her neck.

Much to his surprise, she seemed unaffected. Little did he know, the mixture he had devised was quite similar to the drug she mixed with her wine in order to commune with her unseen patron. Such small amounts would do little to faze her.

He was now within reach of his weapon, but realized that it would be no use. He was going about this all wrong. Weapons were her game, if he wanted to win, he was going to have to force her to play his game.

She stalked him again, while he did not move. She lashed out preparing a cross body slash. Nightwing read the angle, knowing this ploy was going to be gutsy. If he executed it wrong, he would probably get to see guts, which was not an idea he particularly liked. No guts no glory, sometimes this kind of move was necessary.

The blade flashed in the light of the smoldering blue embers, whistling towards its target, hoping to find a home in his side.

* * *

Jack had succeeded in tipping the silver hand just as the first sparks began to crack, misdirecting his strike. The bolt of energy whizzed past Ryand'r, missing by only a few precious inches.

The silver man now looked at the Jackal with contempt, just before the rest of the man barreled into him. The hook had tipped the hand, but all one hundred and eighty pounds of muscle had catapulted itself directly into the man's midsection. Thankfully, the metallic look of his opponent was only a façade hiding a fleshy humanoid body beneath its shiny veneer.

Jack had jolted the man right off the bed and into the wall, leaving a reasonably sized dent in the process. In addition to the air being forced from his lungs, it appeared that he had been knocked out quite soundly. Ryand'r, though unsuccessful in his own venture, had managed to weaken him terribly as well, only it was much less apparent due to the strange finish the man wore over himself

Golden ichor dribbled from his ear as he slumped over to the ground.

Jack whirled himself in the air, landing a sharp, jackknifing cross-bodied kick across the man's face, just for good measure; one could never be too careful.

He wasted no time moving to vacate the room. The most pressing of his enemies was now taken care of, but an entire legion of Tamaranean's would be marching on the room as he moved to secure Ryand'r and Blackfire.

He scooped up the tied princess, looking quite attractive in her bonds and threw her over his shoulder before gingerly tucking Ryand'r under his arm and rushing from the room. Thankfully, his cargo was quite light and little of his upper body strength was spent.

He turned the corner back to the vestibule of the apartment just as he saw Nightwing catch Ariadne's blade in his left armpit, squeezing the flat of the blade against his arm and his torso. He gritted in pain as he brought his right arm around, first striking at the wrist before landing the point of his elbow viciously in her temple, knocking her out cold.

"You don't have room for one more do ya?" Dick laughed through his pain, revealing a gash beneath his arm. He was going to have to slow down a bit, if he used his left side too much, he would quickly bleed out.

"No luck, can't waste time undoing her bonds, they seem to be Tamaranean in design, and Ryan's out cold," he grumbled, absent mindedly patting Blackfire on her backside with the hand that held her up, much to her muffled protest. Realizing his mistake, he sheepishly replaced his hand as the two men quickly vacated the smoldering apartment. They turned a corner, bypassing the control room, opting for the main hallway as they raced for the lift system. With any luck, they would still be functional.

Nightwing scrambled, pressing button after button, remembering Ryand'r's keystrokes while using his common sense to fill in the blanks. They should be on their way back to the level that they had started on initially, but unfortunately, they had to travel almost half the length of the ship before arriving at the rendezvous pad. With any luck, the guards would not yet be alert on that level.

Tamaranean voices sounded over the ships intercom, calling all soldiers to attention. The entire ship was to be sealed off, they were going to lock them in and corner them. This lift couldn't go fast enough.

* * *

As the lift slowed, the door materialized in the side of the car, luckily facing the way that the two men had been looking. They quickly rushed out, only to find themselves surrounded by twelve guards that had likely tracked the car and were told to wait to ambush them here.

Jack, not needing his hands, landed several kicks on the nearest two guards before spinning through the gap created by the absence of the two soldiers he had quickly knocked to the floor.

Dick was able to release three darts, only one managing to find its target, largely as a result of his weakening arm. He released a birdarang which ricocheted between two pursuing soldiers' helmets, temporarily dazing them.

The two men raced off down the hallway, covered by a smoke and flash grenade tossed by Nightwing. They succeeded in dodging the blind firing of the Tamaranean's starbolts that danced after them down the hallway.

The door was now in sight, but Bruce had not been responding to Nightwing's recent transmissions. Hopefully he would be waiting.

The two men busted through the door, before taking a defensive position on the landing pad. Jack had set Ryand'r carefully down in a corner on Dick's side of the platform while he had kept Blackfire on the other sider nearer to him.

"You think you could get those things undone?" Jack questioned, "she'll be helpful in a fight, and at least we'll have two flyers incase Batman can't make it and we need to jump ship."

Nightwing, not appreciative of the play on words in their current situation, nodded and hobbled to her, removing his lock picks. These were exactly the same kind as Starfire had been bound in all those years ago, should be a piece of cake.

Jack moved to the door, batting away starbolts with his feet as the soldiers approached, now only five in number.

Her feet now free, Nightwing continued to fiddle with the mechanism, succeeding in the first step of dismantling the alien lock, her hands were now visible, but one more properly placed probe should drop the cuffs all together.

Jack dropped to the floor sweeping the feet from two of the closest guards, as he launched from a low, loaded position after returning to his feet from his spin. He caught the next man up directly in the chest with his powerful knee, causing him to double over in a fit of wheezing as he gasped to return air to his lungs.

More soldiers flooded the hallway. Jack, now seeing this, used an advancing guard as part of a springboard to backflip out of the hallway and back onto the platform where he was joined by a now mobile Blackfire and Nightwing.

Warriors poured out of the hallway and onto the platform as Nightwing, Blackfire and the Jackal fought them back as best they could. After several minutes, it seemed that Batman would not be able to stop by to pick them up; all that came through his microphone was the occasional crackle of static from Batman's side.

Nightwing had made his way to the corner where Ryand'r had been deposited, unseen by the enemy soldiers. He called across to Jack and Blackfire, telling them that they were going to need to fly out of here.

As Jack turned his head, a starbolt jarred him, smacking him across the face. Seeing the scored hit, the Tamaraneans noticed Jack's disorientation and subjected him to a continued buffeting of energy. He wobbled backwards unsteadily and plunged over the edge of the platform. Blackfire jumped over the side after him, slowly catching up to him.

Dick saw his friend's less-than-graceful exit and decided to follow suit. He held onto Ryand'r with his good arm and dove over the edge. Fortunately, the ship had wandered into Gotham's industrial district not far from a Wayne Enterprises manufacturing plant. Dick rode the thermals as he glided towards the third smokestack, knowing that it lead to a tunnel that would take them back to the batcave. He hadn't the time nor the energy to check his surroundings, but was sure that Blackfire was right on his tail.

Blackfire finally was able to accelerate herself just enough to reach Jack. He appeared to be unconscious as they continued their fall. She had been stripped of her power and was only a little less than helpless. She clung to him and attempted to guide them towards what appeared to be a dump. She didn't relish the idea of landing in garbage, but it was certainly better than falling to their deaths.

They were nearing the ground now. She hugged him tight against her, trying to relax her body and brace for impact.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N:

Wow, it's been a little bit. Sorry guys, like I said, my writing pace has slowed, however, now in addition to my lack of inspiration school is getting ready to start back up again (I'm a college student, so my time is sucked up by a billion other things right now). I'm still a good 5 chapters ahead of what's being published but I like to be further along, so my rate of publishing will slow to match my writing speeds.

Okay, so about the chapter. More long term foreshadowing, stuff that will be relevant beyond this fanfic should I continue. In the short term, we have Ryand'r kind of starting to figure things out and then ask more questions. I thought it would be an interesting addition to the story if we could see the RobStar stuff unfold from another perspective, especially one that is so close yet also so estranged.

In other news, all of you who are starting to scratch your head at the BlackJack stuff, get ready for more head scratching. Even now, I'm still unsure of how I want to end it (though I'm starting to lean one way) and if that tells you anything, it should tell you that you can't take anything you see from either one at face value. Lots of twists there.

Also, I feel like I have done a poor job of including other Titans in the story, so I'm really trying hard to work them in, but there are arguably really only four main characters, only two of which are true Titans. The issue I have with them is that after a point, I feel like I'm making a list. "Beast Boy did x while Cyborg said x and Raven rolled her eyes while... etc etc." It's hard to include all of them too often. Anyway, I hope you guys don't mind that too much.

Let me know what you think! I would love to hear what people are thinking about the new story elements, like I said in my last note... (This is very important). Blackfire, as far as this story is concerned, is neither good nor bad, it's kind of left up to the reader's opinion of her by the end. It's definitely not my goal to rehabilitate her, but at the same time, I can't say that she won't be. Or even more importantly, if she needs it. Again, a matter of perspective.

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 20**_

Nightwing controlled a buoyant fall down the faux-smokestack and through the tunnel, coming to rest on the floor of the passage that led back to the batcave. He hoped he had made it far enough to trip the security buzzer in the batcave, alerting the others of his presence when they returned. It was all he could do to drag himself and Ryand'r from the main passage of the tunnel and into a darkened alcove.

Dick opened up the small kit of survival supplies that he had packed in case of just such an event, removing a blanket. He stripped a piece of it off, intending to make a makeshift bandage to staunch the bleeding of his wounds. The gash wasn't quite as bad as he had first thought, but it was enough, he had lost too much blood to do much more than stay put.

He had just finished tying the bandage when he finally succumbed to the creeping black.

* * *

The batmobile soared over Gotham at 200 miles per hour, doing all that was possible to lose the Tamaranean fighters that had been scrambled to chase off the bat. Bruce's car was fancy, but it wasn't a fighter jet, flying was enough of a feat for the Lamborghini. If he made it out of this, he would be sure to work on a Batmobile Beyond next; this spat sure was making him well aware of his current ride's obsoleteness.

Fortunately, the Tamaranean weapons weren't much more than glorified starbolts. Those that landed successful hits did little more than scratch the paint. It was a fair assessment that he would be out of paint pretty soon though, Bruce smirked.

He wheeled around, looking for any sign of the Titan's that were on the ground; he would need Koriand'r or Raven to get the fighters off of him. He wasn't going to be able to do this all day, something told him he was going to run out of gas before his pursuers did.

A green light flashed just a few blocks to his left. That should be a good place to start. He redirected his flight path, looking to come in low over the Titan's heads, hopefully getting someone's attention.

As he rounded the corner, he could see the four young heroes mopping up a small brigade of Tamaranean soldiers and their Gordanian counterparts. Perfect, they were just about done, and it had appeared that Jack and Dick had flown out on their own just a few minutes before. If they could give him a hand, the team would be able to meet back up at the batcave and see what Komand'r could help them with.

As he made his pass, a dark wall erected itself just behind the Batmobile, which continued on its way, leaving the fighters behind. The enemy bogies each smashed into the wall only leaving a verdant pyrotechnics display.

Batman once again wheeled his vehicle about, speeding towards the Titan's stopping just short as he rolled down his window.

"Nightwing and the Jackal are out," Bruce called out, "we should get going, no need to stir them up any more than necessary," he finished, his eyes floating upwards, gesturing to the fleet that hung above their heads.

Batman remained on the ground now, so as not to attract any attention to himself in the air. Those that could normally fly followed suit, piling into the closest vehicle.

Tires squealed as they burnt rubber in their hurry to vacate the scene. The T-car roared after the Batmobile, both vehicles doing about triple the speed limit through the deserted streets.

Abruptly, Batman squeezed the handbrake, sending the inhabitants of his vehicle flying across the small cab of the car as he drifted into an alley, the T-car following close on his heels. Both cars raced right through a brick wall at the end of the alleyway, leading them back to the batcave.

* * *

Blackfire opened her eyes shortly after the thud of their landing, afraid to open them for fear of what she might see beneath her. She stole a look at the 'Jackal,' as he had referred to himself before, now beneath her. He seemed unharmed by the fall. The heap of garbage bags they landed on had softened their landing, and luckily for him, his unconscious state had only aided in relaxing his body for impact. She sighed with relief, thankful for the smooth landing and that she had been on top, not smashed under his weight.

Blackfire now stood up carefully and slowly, checking to see that they were not immediately followed. There did not appear to be anyone or anything around, at least for the moment, but that was soon to change. She knew as well as most anyone in the fleet above that Malavon, her would-be-captor, would not be cheated twice.

She looked back down at her rescuer, observing him in his unconscious state. He had arrived just in time, but timely as his arrival had been, she was still in disbelief that there had been an arrival at all.

What fools! They would now incur the unbridled wrath of the mighty Citadel, and for what reason?

Before very long, an entire host of Tamaranean's would be upon them. Moving him would only slow her down, risking her welfare, which had fortunately been given a second chance by the man beside her.

She turned to leave, skipping down from the heap of bags that had caught their fall. She hurried across the dump, reaching the main building in the complex. Hopefully they had some form of what she was looking for, or else she might have even more trouble than had she stayed back with him.

There they were, not quite what she was looking for, but it would have to do. She unrolled a sturdy plastic bag before tearing it from the perforated edge, detaching it from the rest of the roll. The bag looked to be big enough, but even if it was a little small, it should still do the job.

She bounded back across hills of garbage, returning to the Jackal's side. She slipped the bag under him and brought it under each arm, between his triceps and his torso, creating a makeshift sling with which to haul him to safety. She knew that she did not possess anywhere near the strength needed to move him as efficiently any other way, she would just have to drag him along.

The two had just made it to the edge of the dump when two Tamaranean scouts had descended from the air, right where they had fallen.

Upon seeing this, Blackfire reached for a broken up refrigerator box and pulled it over the two of them, flattening herself against him as best she could, hoping the slight bump would not betray them.

After several minutes, she had deemed it safe to remove the box and continue her trek to the nearby alley. However, she took the large box with them, should they need any cover along the way.

She proceeded to drag him from the trash compound, thankfully leaving most of the horrid smell behind, unfortunately, a rather belligerent bit managed to stick with them.

As she backed her way into the alley, the Jackal in tow, she heard a grim laugh somewhere behind her. She gave one last heave, depositing him behind a dumpster, obscuring him from the street just before turning to meet a scruffy band of street urchins.

A few whistled and cat called at the attractive older girl as the biggest among them stepped forward, flipping a switchblade in and out of its open and closed position.

"Sorry lady, no vacancy, that is, unless ya can _pay_," his face splitting into a sick smile as his eyebrows arched upwards.

"Sorry brat, I don't think I have the money you're looking for," she spat, unamused by their adolescent antics.

"I don't think you understand me," he said, clearly frustrated, leaving the blade in its open position now, "scram or else you gotta…"

The kid never got a chance to finish his sentence as Blackfire landed a swift kick across his face, sending them all scrambling away. He doubted he could get anything with her Citadellian credits, but his attitude was the real offense.

She didn't make much of the attack. Every major city on any planet she had ever been to had its share of poverty and its equal share of street gangs that would take advantage of anyone less fortunate than themselves; this city seemed to be no exception. Maybe next time they would ensure that their target was indeed less fortunate.

Blackfire arranged the box up against the dumpster, creating a makeshift shelter big enough for the two of them. It should succeed in masking their presence from the street and provide some defense against the elements as the night set in. It wouldn't be long now before the only light they had was the moon; she needed to see if she could build a fire soon.

* * *

Dick now stirred, sitting up and clearing his eyes before opening them to a crackling flame built around the center of the alcove. Ryand'r sat next to it, warming himself as he clutched a tin that housed some kind of alien substance. He ate slowly, savoring each bit of precious food. Unlike Dick, he had no clue where they were or how they would get out.

Dick relaxed himself against the wall yet again, cast in shadow. It did not appear Ryand'r had noticed his stirring yet. He would take his opportunity to observe the boy just as he was when he thought no one was watching.

Though Starfire and Ryand'r's features were anything but uncommon for a Tamaranean, the similarities were now unmistakable. They had the same nose and the same eyes. How could he have doubted before?

As if reading his mind, Ryand'r now reached into a pocket in his tunic, retrieving a small cube that he set on the floor in front of himself. He tapped it twice, prompting a hologram reel of his sister to issue forth. He went through several of just her before arriving at a series of photos that he had particularly liked. They were a collection of pictures of her with her new Earth friends that she had managed to send to him two years ago.

Now that he was finally here on Earth, maybe he would get a chance to meet the cool robot man and his weird green friend that he had always seen having such a good time. He shrugged at the next picture, recognizing it by its instant flash of pink. The hooded girl sat with his sister in her horrifically colored room, looking no happier to be there than he was with the nauseating hue. Finally, he came to a picture that represented many mixed feelings.

Ryand'r stared at a picture of his sister in the arms of a short boy with strange spiked hair wearing the most ridiculous outfit Ryand'r had ever seen. On one hand, he felt like he should like this character, as his sister certainly seemed to, but at the same time, he felt a strange jealousy. The jealousy was now two-fold; not only did he feel like he was second to this oddly dressed boy, he didn't want anyone to conflict with _his _choice for her. The man who had dared rescue Blackfire, and now himself, was much more deserving of his sister than the funny person who held her in his hologram.

Dick now made his presence known, stepping from the darkness, a smile on his face.

"I didn't know she sent pictures of us to anyone," he smirked, deciding he didn't like that picture of himself very much.

Ryand'r's eyes widened. No one was supposed to see these! These were his! He felt as if the only thing he had managed to keep to himself all of these years was now not even exclusively his own. Despite all of that, he could not blame his new friend 'Nightwing,' as it was Ryand'r's own carelessness that betrayed his holobox. Wait. Did he just say, 'us?'

"Us? You mean _you _are the boy holding my sister?" Ryand'r questioned, now realizing that if this were true, his new friend had been lying to him all along.

"I guess I haven't been completely truthful," Dick admitted, raising a hand to his head. He winced in pain, remembering that he still was nursing a fresh wound.

"I expect that you shall now reveal the true truth?"

"Yah, sorry about keeping it from you, I just needed to know you were who you said you were," Dick half smiled now, "I guess that kind of settled it."

Ryand'r waited, not bothering to hide his boyish impatience as he settled in for a story.

Dick explained how the Teen Titan's had formed so many years ago. Ryand'r was pleased to know that his sister had been more than instrumental in bringing the group together. Dick had continued to recount their travels and adventures, spilling nearly everything to the young boy. There wasn't much for real information at this point, but it satisfied the young man no less. Dick had about concluded the account when Ryand'r spoke up yet again.

"That is all so _cool_," he exclaimed, overjoyed with the stories of his sister's feats, as well as those of the _Robin_ character that had grown up to be Nightwing. "But you have not mentioned why you hold my sister in that hologram," Ryand'r grinned slyly, knowing he was now getting to the real substance that he had wondered about for so long.

He was quite glad that the goofy kid in green and red had grown into this brave warrior, surely his sister approved of him. He now decided that he liked him very well too.

"We are good friends," he managed awkwardly, "Earth people have this thing called a hug. It shows friendship." He didn't want to lie to the boy anymore, but honesty was probably not the best policy in this particular situation. Besides, he had not really lied to him, at the time of the picture, it was true; all they were was friends.

Dick was suddenly buried by a wave of nostalgia, recognizing the picture as the one that sat on her nightstand back at Titans Tower. His chin was tucked over her shoulder and his hands slung about her waist from behind as she giggled into her other shoulder. He felt himself reddening at the memories.

"Is that how you know Tamaranean, and why you wear your hair like I will wear mine when I am fully grown?" He continued, delving further in his quest for understanding of their relationship.

"Yeah," Dick admitted, "she has taught me a lot about your culture and language, and I picked it all up pretty quick." He smiled awkwardly, hoping that his vagaries would be enough to satisfy the young man's ceaseless appetite for information.

"Well then you should know that you wear your hair in the style of a royal warrior," he continued, seemingly questioning his choice in style. He was not terribly affronted, but it was not as simple as a hairstyle, it was a symbol of your class. An alien such as this _Nightwing_ would not even _have _a class, but since he was a most noble warrior, Ryand'r supposed he could let it pass.

"Yah, that's what your sister told me, she asked that I wear it like this," he half-lied, hoping Ryand'r would not read into this as much as Dick thought he might.

This gave Ryand'r reason for pause. For what reason would his sister ask him to learn the language _and _change his hair? It was certainly an improvement over the spiky mess that it had been, but why? She knew very well that Ryand'r was the only male of ruling blood left, and therefore the only male Tamaranean fit to wear the symbol. Perhaps that was the answer.

"Oh I see!" he exclaimed, grinning slyly at Nightwing, exuding boyish charm and exuberance.

Great. He didn't mind if Ryand'r knew that he was with his sister, but this wasn't the way he imagined it coming out either,

"She wants to make you a Tamaranean because she misses her people!"

That was certainly something that had never occurred to Dick before. Two years ago, he might have believed it. He was sure she missed her people, but she had ultimately chosen Earth over Tamaran.

"That's what I figured too!" Dick grimaced, laughing to himself, thankful for the out Ryand'r unknowingly provided.

"If she wants you to be a _real _Tamaranean, you require a real Tamaranean name too, yes?" Ryand'r laughed, now thinking thoughtfully to himself.

"Ryand'r, I'm not sure that's necess-,"

"You may call me Darkfire, since we are now true friends," he said excitedly, continuing his mental quest to determine an appropriate name for his new friend. His eye's flashed, thinking that he might have had it.

"Kynad'd!" He exclaimed triumphantly, remembering his prophetic questioning from earlier. Dick could only stammer awkwardly in protest. He really didn't need a new name, but he figured that this was probably fun for the young emperor. Perhaps it was best to humor him.

"Kynad'd? What does that mean? I don't think I've heard the first part of that before," Dick mused, his Tamaranean failing him momentarily.

Darkfire now sat thoughtfully again. It had sounded okay in his language, but a good translation escaped him. It wasn't a very clean transition.

"It does not work well in your language," Darkfire now admitted, thinking of a remedy. "What is a fierce animal, a true king of beasts, on your world?"

"A lion?" Dick wasn't sure of any other animal that exactly fit the bill, but that should be close enough to whatever Tamaranean counterpart Darkfire had thought of.

"I think I have heard of them, that should be quite suitable for the purpose," he concluded. "The name would be quite significant on Tamaran; it means to say that you have the heart of a lion, or at least my own world's version of such a creature."

Darkfire went on to explain that it was a name fit for the noble warrior that his sister saw him as. In truth, it was more than just a name. It was a name that, should Darkfire's suspicions prove to be correct, would become not just a name but also an idea, a righteous bastion and a threat. As was much of the rest of their culture, names were symbolic, bordering on prophetic, it only made sense that a man such as Darkfire's new friend should have one.

* * *

The Titan's had just arrived at the batcave as Alfred, who had been at the computer, rushed out to meet them, clearly with some kind of urgent news.

"Master Bruce!" Alfred panted, arriving at the window of the Lamborghini before Bruce had a chance to remove himself. "There is an intruder that is currently inhabiting the smokestack entrance to the cave, the alarms were tripped nearly an hour ago."

"I'm sure it's all right Alfred," Bruce assured, "I have a feeling I know who it is." It was fortunate that Nightwing had been able to make it back to the safety of the cave, even if it was only its outermost perimeter, no one would follow him there.

All but Cyborg and Starfire piled out of the T-car. Cyborg pulled the vehicle around behind Alfred as he called out to Batman.

"Got it boss man, we'll have him back faster than you can say Shazam!" With that, the T-car roared out of the main cave, speeding in the direction Alfred had indicated. Several miles in, Cyborg dialed back the speed and put on the brightest lights that the T-car had, he didn't want to miss Nightwing, or worse, hit him.

Cyborg now realizing Starfire had stayed in the car, called over his shoulder to her.

"Ya okay, Star?" he questioned, noticing her look of distress.

"I believe so, friend Cyborg," she allowed, "but I will be much better when we find him."

Cyborg nodded, understanding her apprehension. The week certainly had not been kind to them. However, Bruce had always tried to warn them, and Cyborg couldn't say he entirely disagreed with him.

"Rough few days huh?" he hazarded, unsure of exactly what to say, but figured saying nothing wasn't the best course of action either.

She said nothing, waiting with bated breath as they traversed the winding caverns that would lead them to the smokestack entrance. As they rounded the next bend in the road, the two Titans spied a flickering light towards the end of the tunnel. Starfire's heart leapt inside of her, she could not wait to see him again, just to be sure he was okay. Her arrival would be bitter sweet, she knew; she was not sure what to expect during her reunion with her sister.

Dick had stepped out from around the corner, hearing the rumble of the engine and the beams of the lights. As the car slowed, Starfire leapt from the back seat rushing to him. He smiled, happy to see her as well, but braced awkwardly, realizing that her brother was right behind him and that her embrace would likely be more painful than usual.

She buried her head in his chest, feeling for the beat of his heart. Dick had clearly recoiled in pain, he hadn't meant to, but it was near impossible, she had placed her hand right into his wound. Feeling his reaction, she withdrew her arm, finding it spattered with blood from the freshly disturbed wound.

"Oh my, we must return you to Raven at once, dear love!" she exclaimed, pulling herself to him again, but this time more gingerly careful to avoid the wounds. Her hands wandered his back sensuously as she tucked her chin over the back of his shoulder, finding herself eye to eye with her sibling.

Only it was not at all who she had expected, it had not been Blackfire, but Darkfire! She had not seen him face to face in almost eight years, she only had limited contact because of the information Galfore, their k'norfka, had given her on her most recent trip to Tamaran.

Much to Dick's amusement, Starfire now rushed by him, passing him up as she caught her brother in a bone-crushing hug. He returned the vicious embrace, laughing a little.

Cyborg looked over at his friend, cocking his eyebrow questioningly. Dick crossed the cavern to stand with the cybernetic Titan.

"Apparently Blackfire isn't her only sibling," Dick smirked, happy that they would have yet another ally in their fight.

"You sound awful excited to play second fiddle Dick," Cyborg chuckled quietly, observing the two reunited siblings in the alcove.

"I'm not too concerned, it's her _brother_," Dick complained at him, "From what I understand, he was seven when Blackfire had driven Starfire away."

Darkfire had watched the exchange between his new friend and his sister, wide eyed. It seemed that she was certainly very good friends with him! He didn't know much about Earth displays of affection, but she definitely had hugged Kynad'd different from how she now hugged him. Maybe she had already seen what he saw in him for her. He would be sure to investigate the matter at a more convenient time.

"How I have missed you, dearest brother!" she proclaimed excitedly, "you must meet my friend Cyborg, and Richard too!" she pulled at him now, ushering him back to the T-car as she whispered, "he is my _boyfriend_."

"Glorious! Kynad'd is my male friend as well sister!"

She looked at him questioningly, perplexed by the usage of the strange name and his misunderstanding of her Earth terms. Dick's face could have lit the cave with its glow, also realizing the boy's idiomatic error.

Darkfire, seeing her puzzled reaction quickly explained that since she had wanted him to be Tamaranean, he gave him a name to fit his bravery and skill in battle.

She nodded in the placatory manner that big sisters did as she helped him into the front passenger seat of the strange vehicle, allowing him to ride shotgun, up with Cyborg, much to his enjoyment. She then slipped into the backseat beside Dick as they sped off towards the batcave.

* * *

Blackfire had just finished gathering some flammable materials that collected in the wind tunnel that was the alleyway as Jack began to stir. He rolled over beginning to stretch himself out from under the box as he cleared his eyes.

Her attempts to begin work on a fire might not be necessary after all. In hindsight, she supposed he probably wouldn't be out much longer anyway. Once he had awoken, she planned to strike out on her own. She owed it to him to look after him until he could do so for himself, but after that, she saw no reason to remain with him.

She didn't have friends, and didn't need them either, she told herself.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N:

Good news! I've been finding more time and with it has come more inspiration to finish out the rest of this. I've started to move into the final phases of the fanfic.

At this point, there are still some old elements that are just being portrayed in new ways that will be explained in a subsequent installment, should I ever get there, but I'm definitely beginning to build in that direction. That being said, if some things in the near future don't make a whole lot of sense, it's okay, they're not supposed to, and they really don't need to as far as the plot of this story is concerned.

So if that's all in future chapters, some might ask why I'm talking about it now? Well, it sort of starts to take off at this point, but that will become more clear later. I only brought it up now so that you can move forward from here with that in mind.

As far as this chapter goes, I'm very proud of it, particularly the one section towards the middle (yay vagaries, no spoilers from me). I had to dig deep for that part of this.

_Guest - _Thank you for the feedback! I don't want to say much, but don't worry, more isn't very far off. Feedback is great because now I know what you want, and if someone has an opinion, I'll certainly hear it and try to work in what people would like to see! As it so happens, more was already written, and I may even do more beyond that if I can make it work with the story and not seem random/pointless.

Okay, enough of me talking. Enjoy! Please let me know what you think!

* * *

_**Chapter 21**_

Jack had now sat up, opening his eyes, taking in the world around him. The last thing he had remembered was falling to his doom. If this was what the afterlife was like, why was Blackfire here? Did she die too?

"Hey sunshine," she said sardonically as she stood before him in the moonlight.

"Where are we?" He questioned, still attempting to shake off the haze of his recent slumber.

"Well, we just fell several hundred feet, landed in garbage, then I dragged you here," she listed, as if he should know. "And now, I'm going to be getting out of here, if you don't mind." Even as she said it, she was unsure if she meant it. She would test the water; did he even _want _her to stay?

"What are you in such a hurry for? Where could you possibly be going to?" he questioned, not expressing interest in her, but her motives. He knew her game, and he played it too. Some might say he did more than just play it.

He thought about that for a second. Did he really want to do it like that? She didn't need someone to treat her how she treated others; that was the idea on which their mission originally hinged.

She fumbled her words, realizing that he had made a point when he cut her off.

"Besides, I don't think you should go out there alone," he smiled, trying to break down the walls that she had erected. "Now that you're gone, I have no doubt they'll be combing the entire city for you."

Interesting. She had so many questions that demanded answers; she would have to work on them as long as she remained with him. Why did he rescue her, and why was he now intent on keeping her safe? What did she do to deserve this?

"I suppose you're right. It wouldn't make sense for me to leave at this point," she began recollecting her composure. She would deal in eventualities, not allowing him to believe that she had any intent on staying with him long term, pinning it on survival. In reality, she hadn't the slightest clue what to do or where to go; her foreseeable future was with him, she couldn't think of any reason why she would leave.

She quickly thought over her options. She couldn't go home and she couldn't return to the ship. The last place she wanted to be was back in Malavon's keeping. She didn't really have a home besides Tamaran, and no friends either. She would just have to stay with the closest thing she had until she figured things out, and right now, that was this strange man.

"We need to make it back to Batman's place, but the only entrance I know of is on the other side of the island," he explained, just now remembering her super strength and flight. "You wouldn't be able to fly us over there would you?"

Blackfire was again at a loss for words. She sputtered incoherently, attempting to make some sort of plausible excuse.

"You're exactly right…" Jack determined, apparently thinking aloud and not listening closely, "if we went airborne we would only be a bigger target."

Blackfire sighed in relief as Jack shot his own idea down.

"Remaining grounded is going to be our best bet," Blackfire agreed hastily.

Jack nodded in agreement, realizing that at this point, fresh out of trouble, they may just want to stay here for the night and work on moving sometime during the next day.

"Well, I have been out since we made it back down, why don't you get some rest while I work on getting a fire going and something to eat?"

Blackfire almost smiled before spoiling it with a smirk. She liked that idea, not only because she could now rest, but also because he had suggested it.

She moved to set the cardboard shelter down on the ground, creating a mat that was as close to comfortable as she would probably get. She laid down on her side, her back to him and the newborn flame as she watched her shadow dance across the brick wall.

Jack sat across the fire from her, back up against the opposite wall as he watched her drift to sleep. He set aside several tins of the food he had packed, saving them for her when she woke up as he heated his own. He found himself quite warm, the summer night and the heat of the fire had made it comfortable enough. He stripped unnecessary pieces of his uniform, preferring to relax while he was able.

Noticing that she had shifted her position from an outstretched sprawl on her side to a huddled fetal position, he removed his thick blue sash and kilt. He balled up the former, lifting her head slightly to provide her a cushion while he draped the latter over her. He may be comfortable in his black jumpsuit, but that was largely thanks to the outfit, her light Tamaranean clothes had shielded little from the approaching night.

Face to the wall, she allowed a devious smile to escape as she cracked an eyelid, not yet completely asleep.

* * *

"So where is Jack?" Dick asked, surprised that he was not already back with the others. He had thought Blackfire had followed him into the smokestack at first, but when he discovered she had not, he imagined that Jack had directed her back towards Wayne Manor.

"We were kind of hoping that you could tell _us _that," Bruce remarked.

Dick, seemingly at a loss, ran a hand nervously through his hair. What could have happened? For all he knew, he was dead. He regretted not yet giving him a communicator so that at least they would have a way to track him.

"It's cool man," Beast Boy offered sympathetically, "Jack is more than capable of looking after himself, and now he has a sidekick to help him out," he laughed.

Hmm, maybe he was on to something, after his naming of Batman's new suit, he had been on a roll.

"You know, if they made some kind of team, they could be like the new Royal Flush Gang, just good! BlackJack! It's genius!"

"Well aren't you just full of it," Raven said sardonically somewhere beneath her hood. She had been focusing intently since they had returned to the cave as she had only now spoken up, her ritual complete. "Don't sweat it Boy Blunder, they're okay."

Dick turned to her now, hoping for any information she could give. Unfortunately, that was about all she could do, it had been enough of a task to isolate their life force in the balance, never mind tracking them with it. It just simply couldn't be done. The balance that she always referred to was an imperfect, formless realm; it had no defined shape of being. As such, trying to superimpose the two worlds only lead those fool enough to try it on a goose chase. At least they could remain informed of their wellbeing.

Darkfire's eyes wandered over the cave, looking at all of the cool gadgets and items on display. The place was practically a museum. He glanced over at his sister who hung on Nightwing's shoulder as he talked to the hooded girl who he had learned was named Raven. He watched them closely as Raven sealed his friend's wound, that was an awesome power, he thought to himself.

He then noticed that his sister had landed a kiss on the Richard's cheek, as she had referred to him earlier, before hurrying off. What purpose could that have served? It was not anywhere near close enough to his lips to transfer information. Perhaps this was another sign of affection on Earth. She seemed to do an awful lot of things only with him; he never saw her express anything beyond her normal hugs with anyone else, surely that meant something.

Darkfire continued to ponder this as the team prepared for the night's sleep. He had been put up in the guest room that had apparently once been used by Richard, but was now devoid of most of his things, including Richard. He watched him carry his sister into the room just across the hall, where he now slept, before closing the door. There was even _more _reason for suspicion. He may only be a fifteen-year-old alien, but he wasn't completely naïve.

He was happy for his sister, who in her life, had not had a whole lot of things to be happy for; it seemed Kynad'd had changed that. He secretly hoped that his sister was only the first of many of his people that would find comfort in that name.

* * *

_Darkness. Black surrounded her, enveloping her in a pool of liquid velvet. The thick substance danced around her, forcing her to the center of the shadowy vortex._

_The writhing mass, black as night, meandered this way and that, spinning odd figures and forms. Beyond the smoky shapes created by her captor, she could plainly see the nothingness; the vast, ever arching expanse of infinity. Or she could_

_not see it, as it were; but that made no difference, for there was nothing to draw comparison by._

_As she gazed at nothing, she thought more about it. She could not look at something that was not there, yet there they were. What is nothing?_

_What is the black? Is it all things, or no things? The dreadful discord of all of light's colors, or none of light's colors? The absence of color. The absence of light._

_The dusky dread once again found its way to her, wrapping its intangible tendrils about her before dispersing once more, this time creating a path on which she now walked. Her eyes followed its departure as it raced toward the horizon, or the verizon. Reality was broken, her orientation of up, down, left and right had been obliterated; there was no true direction. The confines of her infinitude had driven her mad with the confounding of the senses. This was nothingness and everything, the perfect paradox._

_She plodded on, never going anywhere. She would mark her spot, drawing a line with her foot in the smoke, only to find that she crossed it again whenever she thought to look for it._

_She grew frustrated, imprisoned by the perpetuity of eternity; endlessness incarcerated her, never allowing passage._

_As she cursed her boundless bonds, she found herself magicked away out of the dark. She spied a faint sparkle in the distance. Dim though it was, it had been a stark contrast to the nothingness that had fenced her previously._

_The hazy white light had exploded around her, releasing a jubilant burst of color. Greens, reds, blues, golds and purples of all hues surrounded her, tickling her heart. Emotions of all kinds raced through her, overloading her senses with this bright, shocking change._

_The color slowly receded, the wave now ebbing, pulling back into the sea of feeling from whence it came._

_The Green remained, spiraling about her, filling her with a vicious jealousy. Bright flashes splashed about her. Flare after flare combusted, blazing bolts of color rocketed by in a smoky haze. Her envy snared her just as the verdant vines of her emotional jungle held her in their viselike grips. She fought her monsters, the green demons from within that had crept about for years, making her do things that she never thought she could. Brilliant emerald eyes now flashed before her, dwarfing her with their enormity. They blinked. Each successive look into the dreadful orbs had revealed a different scene. In the first was her home, then her mother and father, then her k'norfka. The eyes hardened before blinking one final time, staring right through her._

_Red now spilled from behind them. Wisps of fire licked the green background, setting the jealously ablaze with feelings of lust and anger. The three emotions compounded within her, forcing her heart to swell with the pain of her failures before bursting with the desire to overcome them, no matter the cost._

_The crimson tide that had washed in after the green had at first reminded her of hair as it licked from beyond the green eyes, but it had grown to dominate the glow of her surroundings. Now chasing the remainder of the green away, the passionate fire burned it out, storming the scene as blades licked up at her feet. She felt desire for satisfaction vanquishing her related jealousies._

_In her passionate haste, the smoke roared and spiked itself upwards. The sharp, bladed edges stymied her advance along the path._

_Realizing the destruction wrought by her raging desire to overcome in a desperate attempt to prove her worth, she stopped short, balked by the killing fields of her own creation._

_She felt a miserable penitence well within her, now experiencing the sorrow that she had sown, creating the terrible thicket of blades before her._

_Blue overtook her, mist rising from the pool that now flooded beneath her, snaking between the melting stakes that jutted from the clouds below. The mist congealed, forming yet another set of enormous irises. The red rolled past as she turned to leave, continuing on her course. The enormous optical array watched her leave sadly, as they had seen her forsake them before. She turned to steal a final glance at them, noting how the red storm beyond them looked very much like hair yet again. The eyes trembled as she turned away._

_She continued her endless trek through the mists, sloshing through the stormy, saturated clouds. The haze now flowed in long, streaking strings of many different blues, almost mimicking the tears that she now felt rolling over her cheeks. The many azures and indigos, sapphires and ceruleans washed over her, dousing her on their way by, compounding the feelings of misery and remorse she was encumbered by._

_The blues, as terrible as they were, began to dry, the sun now coming out. Gold and white light now streaked the blue, creating beautiful, vibrant stripes all around her. She felt instant joy, her heart leaping as the warmth of the rays fell upon her. The luminous ebullience crowded out the blue, buoying her high above her recent despairs. She felt almost as if she could fly. She soared through the fluffy clouds that now dominated the nothingness she had once been surrounded by, dancing with the light. For once, everything was at peace; she was at peace._

_The brilliant flashes of light almost smiled at her, inviting her to stay. She found herself no longer wanting to walk on her path; she could stay like this forever. She had no desire for anything more. She felt accepted and wanted; she felt loved._

_Unfortunately, as each emotion had, this one passed as well, only when it left, rather than being relieved, she felt hollow, the ultimate nothingness that she had felt as her journey had begun._

_The creeping darkness once again surrounded her, reinventing its raging cyclone of black emotionlessness._

_Time. Another reality made unreal by the twisting of physics and space. Utter chaos ruled as the darkness ran wild through the absence of the once beautiful and sonorous color._

_She considered this inconsistency of time, her past, present and future all rolling together in a grotesque amalgam of nostalgia, regret, mystery and wonder._

_She looked back over her shoulder, seeing each of the four realms she had traversed, finding that the jealous envy of the green lead to the violent, lustful passion of the red, which in turn brought her to the sorrow that she had created for herself and countless others. She knew her past well, it was no mystery to her. She decided she would only have to wait and see what would come next._

_In an instant, all of the color found itself in a whirlwind, wrapping about her as the discord of the colors formed an ugly black. The thick ichor of her emotion bound into one, pooling around her. She gasped for breath as it pushed her to its depths, drowning her._

_Light pervaded her senses. Someone was whispering her name._

* * *

Starfire sat awake, laying with her slumbering lover. Even in his sleep, he held her, caressing her, stroking her hair. She looked up at him, wondering what kind of dreams he had when he did such things. She longed to join him, as she always did when she noticed him do this sort of thing. She rested her head on its favorite spot along the contour of his muscled chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek.

As she enjoyed her comfortable cradle formed by his arm, she secretly wondered what her brother had talked to him about. What was the extent of his knowledge of them? If he knew all that there was to know, would he approve? She did not expect him to take much interest in her love life, but this was different. Richard was her only and final interest. She planned to live her life with him; what would her brother say or think?

It seemed to her that he liked him well enough, he had gone so far as to give him his own honorary name, after all. Maybe they would be good friends. She strongly hoped that this was the case. Maybe she would talk to her brother tomorrow. As it was, they needed to wait for her sister to return with Jack. They planned a search, but they all knew it was likely to be a fruitless endeavor.

That was another complication. What would her _sister _say? Blackfire was well aware of the fact that she and Richard had sealed their bond to each other, but knowing and acknowledging was not the same as accepting.

On the other hand, did she care what her sister thought? Starfire doubted that Blackfire would approve, but she was happy with him, and that's what mattered. She had a feeling her sister would consider a human, or any non-Tamaranean for that matter, beneath her. She was always waiting for a proper suitor, one that could take Tamaran's throne with her, but no Tamaranean male had come looking, despite the status it would bring. It was not lost on Starfire that most Tamaraneans would consider her sister very unattractive.

Starfire pushed such thoughts from her head. She ran her hand over his body before allowing it come to rest on Richard's waist, which she then used to pull herself as close to him as she could, before drifting back to sleep.

* * *

"Blackfire?"

Blackfire tossed and turned in her sleep, rolling off of her improvised sleeping pad. Jack leapt to her side, stopping her just short of the fire.

She had slept uncomfortably for the last several hours, her fits of discomfort had steadily grown. At one point, there was an eerie calm that had seemed too good to be real, but Jack thought better than to question a good thing. As he had suspected, her contented, almost happy sleep, was short lived.

He scooped her up, taking her back to her mat as she gasped for air. He knelt to set her down again, beginning to worry. As he did so, lowering his arms, her eyes snapped open, connecting with his own.

He had been the first thing she had seen as she woke from her terrible dream. She found herself in his arms listening to his whispers, much to her surprise and lukewarm happiness. This was also the first time she had seen him with his guard down.

He wore only his black jumpsuit and golden bands. Black. That was about the last thing she wanted to see right now, but somehow, he made it all right. She looked at him, seeing his face unobstructed for the first time, his mask removed and cowl pulled back.

His brown eyes transfixed her, holding her with his stare. She now took in the rest of his features, noting his perfectly symmetric face framed with a light golden brown shadow of a day old shave. His hair was kept neat and pushed forward, standing up in the front. Her eyes continued to briefly wander him before being released form his gaze as they both looked away, remembering that the other could plainly notice their not so secretive noticings.

"I, uh, you were rolling towards the fire," he managed to get out, not looking directly at her now.

"Thanks," she said softly, looking at him only from the corners of her eyes.

"I suppose you probably want to get back to sleep so, uh…" he trailed off, dropping her unceremoniously.

"Yah, _thanks_," she repeated, this time with her usual temerity.

He just dropped her? Like that? Not exactly what she expected, but in hindsight, she was hardly surprised. She wasn't sure what he felt, she wasn't even sure what _she _felt, but that hardly mattered.

Whether she felt or not was of little consequence, if she wanted him to feel for her, he should. She always got what she wanted. Like anything else she had ever wanted, she would conquer it.

She rolled over again, pulling his kilt over her and burying her face in his sash, breathing in deeply. It had his smell on it.

She didn't return to her slumber, preferring to allow him to think her asleep. She could have her time to think to herself. She feared sleep; she had no desire to revisit the blackness. She thought about her dream, searching it for answers. Ultimately, she decided that she would make a conscious effort to redefine her colors. She hated everything that she had allowed herself to become. Maybe letting go of what she was would be the first step to discovering the new; the golden ecstasy that she found herself enveloped by before returning to the nothingness.

She rolled over slowly, cracking an eyelid, finding that the man across from her was beginning to doze. He sat uncomfortably upward, back against the brick wall. As much as she wanted time to herself, she _didn't _want time to herself even more. She just didn't know how to obtain it.

She watched the fire crackle and pop before her. She watched the circling moths that fought for its light and warmth, getting ever closer. She watched as one flew too close, catching itself in flame.

She now looked again at him through the fire. The superimposed flame seemed to lick up at him, casting its light dancing across his face. His browned, golden hair caught the light perfectly, coming alive with the light.

She sat up now, causing the mat under her to creak uneasily.

This was apparently enough to rouse him from his light sleep, his eyes flashed open as his hyper sensitive hearing had been tripped by the sonic oddity.

She huddled herself behind his kilt, trying to look as though she were simply changing her positioning.

He now opened his eyes fully and turned to face her, forcing her eyes away self-consciously. The air between them was pregnant with silent, unasked questions. It seemed both could feel it, and both waited for the other to speak up.

"Why did you do it?" Blackfire quested, finally breaking the silence. "Why did you rescue me? I tried to take your friend."

"If you ask the others, it's because we need your help, we can't fight them, and we know you know how," he started, unsure of how to continue.

"And if I ask _you_," she prompted, her confidence now returning to her. Taking joy in putting him on the spot. If she managed to keep him on the defensive, this conversation should be quite easy.

"I don't know," he admitted. It was the truth. "I guess I just didn't want to see someone taken like that. Seems like an awful waste of a pretty girl. Your sister didn't have to go, so why should you?"

He knew he had put himself in a bind as soon as the words had crossed his lips.

He would have to explain himself to her now, or at very least, feel like he would have to. She now would expect things of him that he didn't know she should. Was he doing his job and telling her what she needed to hear? They had determined that she was severely lacking self-worth. Was he placating her, or did he mean what he said? Feelings certainly didn't make his job easier.

Blackfire said nothing.

She hadn't expected that answer. She was not used to being the damsel in distress, or the pretty girl.

"Life's not fair," she muttered, more to herself than to him.

Those words had tasted horrible. She was never one to just accept what life gave her, if that were the case, she would never have done half the things she had. Things only ever had to work out one way; her way. However, for the sake of the conversation, playing devil's advocate was probably her best bet, despite her contrary personal opinions.

"I suppose so, but if there's something that can be done…" he trailed off, deciding to reword, expressing his sentiment a different way. This girl certainly had him on the run. That was not something he liked very much; he wasn't used to it.

"They didn't get Starfire, they had you, but they were going to wreck the planet anyway," he started, "and we weren't going to let _that _happen," Jack said firmly. "You were the only thing left to lose," he half smiled, a corner of his mouth pulling up slightly.

Her heart jumped, just before being squashed by the malevolent taste of victory.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N:

jenny868 - I'm glad that you like the chapter lengths! I was worried that they were too small haha.

Guest - Thank you very much! I'm sure more reviews will help bring in larger audiences so I appreciate it a lot! I'm glad you like what I'm doing with the characters and their subplot twists, they are very fun to set up and write!

Now on to the actual note. This is the longest chapter I've written so far, and it's full of information that will become relevant in the next installment and as we see development from Blackfire's character subplot. Remember when I said Blackfire's not all that she seems? Yah well, this is the first explicit bit of subversion we see. So far there is no action, but the gears are turning and Blackfire knows how to get what she wants.

If anyone guesses her secret, self-serving plan, kudos. All of the information you need is already known, and as a result, won't be explained until much later, I'm 5ish chapters ahead and it still hasn't really come out.

Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 22**_

The first signs of light began to streak the sky as Jack and Blackfire broke down their camp. During the day, the search for the missing princess would be in full swing, they couldn't afford to stay in one place. They would try and move stealthily in the direction of Wayne Manor until the others had found them or they had arrived. If, as Jack suspected, they were on their own, it would be a long trek across the island.

Though he wasn't about to complain that he would have to spend more time with the alien girl. He found that he rather enjoyed her company, with or without his preconceptions.

Despite his precautions, they were already starting to run low on food. Jack had packed enough for one person, not two. Thankfully, they were in a city, not the middle of nowhere. It wasn't generally in his character to steal, but he preferred to look at it more like society paying its debts, he would only do what he needed to in order to get by. They would put off their looting until they had no other option, maybe they would be found by then.

Jack replaced his mask before taking his kilt and sash back from Blackfire, who watched as he rewrapped his lower body with the traditional garments. She hatched a most enjoyable yet completely beneficial and pertinent plan as she admired his torso; rescuing her from the ship was only a small part of her ultimate salvation.

"We should get moving, it won't be long before they search this entire area," he suggested, unsure of exactly how the rest of this was going to work. He was okay working with a team, he was pretty flexible, but something told him that she was not.

She bit her tongue, figuring better to say nothing. She didn't like following direction, regardless of whether it was good or not, but she could hardly argue with good direction.

They ran off down the alley, hopping the chain link fence at the end of the alleyway before turning the corner. The corridor lead out to a large street that Jack knew ran throughout Gotham. If they could keep along this road, it would take them directly to the suspension bridge and out across the water towards Wayne Manor.

The vastness of the city unfolded before them. The industrial district stood higher than most of the rest of Gotham, allowing them to clearly see their path, winding through the city before emerging on the far side of the island. Blackfire wished that she could fly after all, but that was hardly a new sense of longing.

* * *

Darkfire awoke early, he was never one to sleep in, but something told him five a.m. was early for Earth people, the moon had not even set yet. He donned his normal Tamaranean clothing, preferring it to his officer guise.

He walked down the hallway, headed towards the double doors at its end, opposite the stairs that lead towards the kitchen. He looked out across the land as he stood on the balcony, his eyes running along the road until it met the bridge that led into the city. His oldest sister and the other man were out there somewhere. Hopefully they would be okay, he sincerely doubted they would have much luck finding them.

His eyes now drifted skyward, watching the glowing green and purple lights of the Tamaranean and Citadellian flotilla high above. Malavon would pay for perverting his people, turning them against their leaders and using them to make his war, he was sure of it.

He thought now about his new friend, Richard. He recalled his brilliance on the ship just hours ago, the mere memory of his expertise gave Darkfire chills. There could be no doubt, the Citadel would fall. Even now, Darkfire could feel it in his blood, hot like liquid steel. His vision had been days ago, but its awe inspiring tone had touched him at his core; he knew that this Kynad'd of whom she… He now found his thoughts interrupted as he heard the soft pattering of footsteps approaching.

"Brother, why are you awake so early?"

Koriand'r had apparently heard him as he had made his exit from his room. Perhaps this was good, he wanted to run his thoughts by her and find out more about this Richard.

He noticed that she wore a short, thin garment about her. She did not sleep like Tamaraneans slept. Perhaps she put the garment on because she was leaving her room, or perhaps he had misjudged her closeness to Richard after all.

"I am restless sister," he replied, "I have many questions." He would be vague for now, but he was definitely not without an agenda. He would take it slow though, there was no need to force conversation with his sister.

"I know how you must feel, I remember when I first came to Earth," she laughed, "things were most strange, and we were in no better circumstances than now."

Darkfire laughed at this, remembering Richard's retelling of that night. She spoke the truth, impending destruction had already hung over the heads of the Titans, but it was not Earth's strangeness or even their present battle that worried him. This was merely a glimpse.

"Where is Richard?" he asked innocently enough. It was not an unwarranted question, as he had been Darkfire's first friend on Earth. This was simply the best way he could think of steering the conversation in the appropriate direction, or at least the one he wanted.

"He should still be asleep in our room," she responded in a somewhat explanatory tone, as if it was something that he might not understand.

"_Our_ room?" He feigned his misunderstanding, allowing her to believe that she would need to explain. He knew full well that they had shared a room and figured he might have a few good guesses as to the significance.

Starfire now looked somewhat uneasy, trying to decide exactly how to word her explanation. She didn't think he needed to know of their love making, or its frequency, but she imagined that it wouldn't do much good hiding it from him either. Secrecy would serve no purpose other than to breed distrust. Earth people were much more reserved about such things, while Tamaranean culture was a lot more open. Perhaps Earth was rubbing off on her.

"Well, Richard and I have shared a room for the last week and a half, that is why you now have the room that had been meant for him," she smiled matter-of-factly. "As I said earlier, he is my boyfriend."

"Yes, it seems he has many friends indeed," Darkfire laughed, taking the news in stride, "it is not hard to see why."

"Umm, yes, of course," Starfire tittered. "But I am afraid you misunderstand," she continued awkwardly, "he is my lover."

In retrospect, this was hardly surprising to him, but it was the confirmation he had been looking for. He had fostered his own suspicions since arriving, but had been unable to remove his hints of doubt, which, thanks to his sister, could now be banished completely.

"Glorious!" he exclaimed, allowing his eyes to expand to the size of saucers, "he is worthy indeed!"

"I am glad that you agree, brother," she smiled, relieved that he was okay with this news.

This was certainly welcome information. He would now be able to explain his suspicions to someone who would understand him and also understand Richard. Koriand'r would be perfect for the job. Not only would he get her opinion, but she would understand why he was so content with her choice.

He briefly explained his revelations, remaining vague but forfeiting enough to do the magnitude of his implication justice.

Starfire listened to what her brother had to say, at first skeptical, but slowly coming around. Unfortunately, she could not say whether it was because she sincerely believed or because she wanted to believe. If he was correct, they wouldn't have a normal life for who knew how long. She did want to settle down with him at some point, but on the other hand, even if this weren't true, Richard would probably continue his work for quite some time. Perhaps this would make the settling down all the more sweet.

They continued their conversation until the first rays of sun peeked over the horizon, casting long shadows across the landscape.

* * *

Blackfire and Jack had been on the move for a little more than an hour when they arrived at the main junction leading from the industrial district back into the main part of the city.

They spied a Citadel blockade set up at the mouth of the road from downtown. That would seem to explain the strange lack of search parties, they knew they could only leave on foot one way, and they had taken appropriate precautions. Luckily for them, they decided against flying; it was almost as if they knew they would come this way.

They counted twenty armed guards; definitely more than they were prepared to take. They needed a diversion of some kind. Unless they could get the guards away from the exit, or at least pre-occupied, they wouldn't have a chance of getting through.

They sat and waited for several minutes, observing the patrol pattern and the behavior of the soldiers. The more they looked, the more clear it became that they weren't getting through. There was no hole in the line or lapse in security. Just as they were about to give it up and find a place to stay hidden until night, Jack's ear twitched.

He wasn't completely sure of what he heard. He suspected that it was still almost half a mile away. Despite his enhanced hearing, if he could pick up whatever it was that far off, it was big. As the sound approached, he was sure of it; it was a vehicle. Likely a large tracked vehicle of some kind. He allowed himself to hope that maybe it would be enough to occupy the soldiers while the two of them made their escape. Only the military would use a vehicle like that. As far as he knew, the Syndicate didn't have tracked vehicles and the aliens were unlikely to use any either.

Just as he formed his suspicions, an armored vehicle rounded the corner down the block on the other side of the blockade, opening fire on the soldiers stationed there.

Jack grabbed Blackfire's hand and broke into a full run, pulling the alien girl along until she managed to match his speed.

Unfortunately, the soldiers had taken cover, backs to the tank, now noticed the two fugitives running down the street behind their positions. The vehicle had succeeded in disrupting them, but they hadn't been able to avoid their attention.

Starbolts were hurled at the duo, mostly missing by wide margins. The soldiers' huddled postures behind an assortment of barricades that protected them from the human weapons had impaired their aim greatly. Despite this advantage, Jack knew they had a long way to go before they would be out of the line of fire, and as the angles changed and the warriors adjusted, the shots were becoming increasingly accurate.

The asphalt below Jack's foot erupted, tripping him up. Blackfire, stopped several paces in front of where he landed, turning around to try and help. The soldier that had managed to get a bead on Jack had stood up, improving his aim. If he hit a moving target, he wasn't going to miss a stationary one.

Jack looked up at his assailant across the road as he raised his lance. Jack glanced over at Blackfire desperately, mouthing to her, 'shoot him.' Jack struggled to his feet as he watched Blackfire raise her hands, a desperate look on her face. Her palms flickered weakly with the light of her starbolts just before going out completely.

She clenched her fists, recognizing her failure as she darted back towards her fallen comrade. Blackfire cursed herself for doing so. What was the purpose in her actions, where was her ever present sense of self-preservation? She should have kept on running, never looking back. Perhaps her survival instincts told her that without him, she was doomed, if he was gone, so were her chances of evading the Citadel permanently.

Just as she threw herself over to him, pulling him up, a trigger was squeezed. The upright Tamaranean fell dead where he stood, never able to pulse energy through his own weapon-locus as he was cut down by the hail of bullets he exposed himself to by standing up from his shielded position.

Blackfire heaved a heavy sigh, as she helped Jack to his feet and the two hurried off again.

No other soldier made the same mistake, and as a result, never got a good shot at the two fleeing fugitives.

Jack and Blackfire ducked into an alley on the other side of the street, now beyond the road block. Blackfire pulled him by the hand as they bolted down the alley and around a corner, encountering a dead end. Thankfully, it didn't appear that anyone saw them enter. Out of breath and quickly becoming exhausted as the adrenaline left their bodies, the pair slid to the ground, propped up only by the wall and each other.

"What happened back there?" Jack wheezed, not understanding her sudden lapse of ability. She never seemed to have trouble when she was shooting at _him_, what had changed?

"I…," she clenched her fists nervously, squeezing his hand in the process. She had been too frenzied, and now, too exhausted to remember she had his hand. This was going to make it awkward now, or at least she thought. She went to remove her hand but felt that she could not, as he squeezed in return.

As his squeeze abated, she decided that maybe she wouldn't remove her hand after all. He didn't seem to mind, and it somehow made her task seem easier.

"I have been stripped of my power," she admitted, looking away from him.

"How can they-?"

"I was not lying when I said that Psion technology can change their creations," she reaffirmed, giving some credence to much of what she claimed before. "I have never been able to fly or create a starbolt under my own power," she started again, "it has always been borrowed. When they took me prisoner, they decided that I no longer needed their gifts."

Jack gave this some thought. Maybe this was why her abilities seemed so much less forceful and honed than her sister's. They were imitations, not the real thing. That's why she couldn't fly when they fell, why she didn't want to fly when they set out on their trek and why she couldn't save him now. He also imagined that this was why she was still traveling with him; he was the only thing that could keep her safe from the Citadel. But one thing still didn't make sense.

"If that's true, and your power is all gone," he reasoned slowly, "then how did you make your palms glow?"

"That was my own ability," she explained, "they can't take what I can do, just what they gave me. That was the closest I've ever been to forming a bolt myself, and I can't even begin to understand how it happened."

Jack seemed to remember something about Tamaranean power that Starfire had told him, but, he couldn't quite place it.

"Which, I imagine," she started as she stood up now, releasing his hand, "means that you and your friends now have no use for me."

Jack wasn't surprised by the reaction, he almost saw it coming. Now that she thought she had nothing to offer, she wouldn't expect that she would still be welcome. In her head, everyone was a commodity of one form or another. They had worth associated with them, not feelings. Maybe that was part of her problem.

"We don't need you for your abilities," he said, as she turned, "and that's not why I rescued you either."

A brief moment of happy weightlessness assaulted her before being ruined by her suspicion. What else could they possibly want with her? Her eyes narrowed slightly as she futilely wrestled with a puzzling knot of thought.

"It doesn't matter why we need you, not if I can't take you back," he began, sensing her confusion, "don't worry about it, live in the now so we can get out this mess and appreciate the later." He was now on his feet, his hand on her shoulder, ensuring that she would not leave.

His words made sense, and his touch reassured her. She allowed herself to be pulled back towards him. Warmth filled her, leaving her with a strange sensation within herself. She didn't understand it, and she wasn't sure she liked it, but it didn't seem that she could do anything about it.

* * *

They waited for what seemed like forever as the military had thoroughly swarmed and beaten back the Tamaranean blockade. After riding out the battle from the safety of the alleyway, they reemerged shortly after Jack had determined that the vehicle and the other soldiers that had joined it were now gone.

The coast looked to be clear as far as they could see along their route. They made decent time, spending most of the day walking along the road. The afternoon hours were beginning to give way to another evening as they entered the downtown area.

With any luck, they would spend one more night in Gotham before arriving at the outskirts the next day, then making for Bruce's place.

"What's the plan?" Blackfire begrudgingly quested. She didn't like having to follow someone else's plan, but she had no other option on this strange world.

"Well, I suggest you get whatever you need to clean yourself up while we have the chance," Jack offered, leading the way into a convenience store. He couldn't say for sure when they would have this opportunity again. If all went according to plan, they would be at Wayne Manor at this time tomorrow, but things rarely went as planned.

"There's a hotel just a few blocks from here," he explained, "we'll be able to clean up and rest there, but I doubt that the complimentary soap and towels are going to be sufficient."

She followed him towards the hygiene section of the store while he pocketed toothpaste, brushes, and other simple things that would be refreshing after traipsing through Gotham's back alleys for the last day and a half.

As he browsed deodorant and razors, she took time to look through a few nearby sections, discreetly pocketing a few things for herself.

They left the store several minutes later, taking with them simple amenities that they were hoping they would not need for more than one more day. But it never hurt to be prepared. It would be unfair to say they left with only essentials, but nobody would miss what little they had taken.

Blackfire followed closely behind the hero as she looked up at all of the towering buildings around them. She had very nearly ran into him when he stopped before one such building. It appeared that they had arrived at the hotel.

The doors slid open for them as they approached, ushering them towards the front desk. Jack explored behind the counter, finally finding the box of keycards that would allow them entry to one of the rooms. He took two.

Their recent journey had been mostly silent. They now sat in the elevator, accompanied only by the persisting silence. She wanted to talk to him, but she couldn't think of anything worth saying. She could usually talk a good talk when bargaining, but this was different. She followed him awkwardly out of the elevator as they reached their floor, remaining in tow until they reached the two rooms, one next to the other.

"Here," he said, offering one of the cards, "I figured you'd be more comfortable..." he hazarded, trailing off now. He wasn't really sure he needed to finish his statement, so he didn't, fearing uneasiness.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not be alone and powerless when the Citadel knocks down our doors," she said snidely.

Hopefully they wouldn't, he thought. She did have somewhat of a point, he kept forgetting that she had none of her normal fighting ability at her disposal. It would not be that much different from the alley the night before, he told himself.

Jack nodded as he opened up the room, removing only his mask before collapsing on the nearest of two double beds. He continued removing pieces of his outfit until he remained clad only in his jumpsuit and golden bands.

While Jack made himself comfortable, Blackfire had immediately made for the bathroom, preparing to smooth over many of the superficial imperfections acquired over the last few days.

She set her bag on the counter, removing a much needed change of clothes as well as several of the assorted hygienic items taken from the store. After laying her things out, she removed her current clothing, which still smelled heavily of the garbage they had landed in shortly after making their escape.

Jack remained sprawled across the bed when he heard the faint tinkling of shower water from across the room and behind the bathroom door. He would enjoy his own chance to freshen up immensely. He could rough it when he needed to, a few days wasn't too bad; he had certainly seen worse during his times with the Joker's gangs, but that didn't mean he liked it.

He dozed lightly as his stomach growled petulantly at him. He was exhausted from last night's vigil, and running around tired didn't do much for his stomach either. Discomfort, he reminded himself, was no stranger. It was one of those things that just came with the territory of the business.

Blackfire exited the bathroom wearing a more relaxed looking Tamaranean outfit than what she generally wore. This one had no metallic plates and didn't look nearly as warlike. So much exposed flesh certainly wouldn't have been helpful in a fight. Jack, having briefly taken note, decided it was a welcome change from her usual attire.

She had taken special care to make some specific additions that she certainly would never have bothered with under normal circumstances, but these were most certainly anything but normal.

Jack trudged towards the bathroom, sparing no more than a cursory glance, clearly unfazed by the look in her eye.

He stepped into the shower and turned the knob. A jet of cold water jarred him from his drowsy state, reawaking his dulled senses. The frigid touch of the water on his bare skin had sharpened his awareness. He didn't usually appreciate the sensation, but this time it had been refreshing. He turned the heat on as he washed himself, taking note of Blackfire's choice in fragrance. Vanilla shower gel battered his recently awoken senses. Though he had been tempted to use the other bathroom in the adjoining room that they had brought the key for, it seemed that waiting was worth it; he greatly enjoyed her scents.

Despite taking time to groom his slightly unruly facial hair, he had finished his business in a little less than half of what it had taken her. He emerged from the bathroom Blackfire sitting on the far bed, staring out the window. She could have seemed peaceful, if it weren't for the fact that Jack felt like he should know better.

His stomach growled, breaking the silence.

"You want to go get something to eat?" she asked cordially enough, happy that she could make a suggestion she knew he would follow, just as he had done to her all along. Jack didn't like the idea of taking a donation again, as he liked to think of it, but they didn't really have any other option at this point.

"Sounds good to me," he agreed, thankful that she brought it up, "I think I saw a restaurant next to the lobby."

Blackfire exited the room as Jack held the door open for her, following behind. Again, the silence that surrounded them unnerved her. She didn't like the restrained feeling she felt. She needed to find a way to break the ice, but she had no clue where to start.

* * *

They arrived at the restaurant that Jack had recalled, finding it to be of a fast food variety. This was promising, as there should be something pre-packaged and refrigerated. It was certainly not Jack's normal idea of quality food, but it couldn't be a whole lot worse than what they had been eating.

He removed two deli style sandwiches from a refrigerator behind the counter before returning to the seating area. Blackfire had stood across the counter, leaning over as she watched him walk around the side back towards her. She followed him toward the nearest table and reached for the back of the chair. Blackfire had found that his hand reached the chair before her own, cutting her off. It seemed to her that he had also wanted that particular seat. Or at least she thought; he pulled the chair out and just stood there waiting.

She cast him a questioning look as he motioned for her to sit down. She didn't understand. She remembered that he had opened the doors for her as well, despite her being in front of him, and perfectly capable on her own. Perhaps it was a weird, Earth thing.

Their meal began in silence, neither one really looking up from their food. Blackfire had decided that she had answers to most of her questions already, and couldn't think of anything more to say or talk about. Fortunately, Jack broke the silence for her.

"So… Komand'r," he hazarded slowly, unsure of how exactly he should address her "what is it like on your home world?"

She was startled by the use of her proper name, or perhaps that he had spoken. She wasn't sure which was more surprising.

"Blackfire is fine," she managed, "it's nothing special, but it's home I guess," she shrugged. It was because it was home that it was nothing special. But he couldn't possibly know about that.

"Don't you ever miss it?" he asked, "Your sister seems to." He added, not knowing that he was steering towards very dangerous waters.

"We are different people," she said evenly, realizing that he didn't know what he was doing. She wanted to talk to him; this was her chance. Maybe this was the price of small talk.

"I don't think you're that different," he laughed, "you both seem more alike than different, to me." He was beginning to realize that this was a touchy subject. He stretched the truth on that last bit, figuring it might be better to try and defuse the situation rather than continue his prodding.

As he thought about it, he supposed that he could probably make a decent case for his statement should he need to. They were both beautiful, fierce warriors and he was sure that there was goodness not unlike Starfire's somewhere in Blackfire.

"You wouldn't understand," she sighed, trying to find comfort in his words.

"If people can't see the differences, maybe the differences don't matter," he half guessed, hoping that his statement would not be perceived as him trying to devalue her feelings.

She sat quietly. Not saying anything, still not looking up.

"At least not to the people who don't understand," he added, now looking directly at her.

She continued to avoid eye contact. She wasn't sure what to think, this wasn't exactly what she signed up for. She somehow felt he was right. Her parents were gone, her k'norfka didn't really matter to her and all of the people on her planet were now enslaved to the Citadel. They weren't much better off than she was. What did it matter what any of them thought?

"Maybe," she conceded, looking up at him for the first time. She saw the gleam in his eye, feeling its warmth.

Now reassured, she went on to explain pieces of her past to him. She told him about her parent's disapproval of her. She was considered to be a mistake, something had been wrong with her. She couldn't fly, her hair was dark, her skin was light – the list went on. Nothing had ever been given to her, she needed to fight for anything and everything.

This had culminated in her being passed up for the crown, despite her being her sister's elder. In addition, she had shown much more aptitude for ruling than her sister ever had. Blackfire had outdone her sister in almost every respect accept for her lack of natural Tamaranean abilities and appearance.

Jack had done little more than respectfully disagree with the situations she was put in, throwing in contrary statements where her lack of worth was concerned. After a while, they scarcely listened to what the other was actually saying, just simply rambling on, enjoying the others company.

Jack now became acutely aware of her. They had avoided each other's faces for most of the night, but things had changed once they had been able to start talking. He noticed her purple lipstick, not remembering it from earlier in their trek across the city. She must have picked that up when they stopped by the drugstore. The familiar smell of vanilla that he had discovered in the shower once again tangled itself about his senses.

She could tell he was beginning to notice her carefully planned subtleties, he was being reeled in more easily than she had thought he would be. What his motives were, she still could not tell. Her first impression of him had told her that he was fairly devious himself, not unlike her. He was a charmer; she would have to be careful that she did not become so busy reeling in her catch that she was being taken for a fool herself. Even if she had, it would hardly matter, as long as what needed to be done was done.

Light was quickly extinguishing itself, allowing the darkness to begin its slow crawl. Jack stood up and disposed of their trash before taking her back to the room as she leaned on him, poising herself for attack.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N:

Okay so, the citrus has arrived. Those of you who may not appreciate it may want to skip a good way down to the second section where the chapter changes point of view. This scene and the things that happen in it DO have a profound effect on the story, or at least the BlackJack subplot. There are hints all over the place. Just remember, Blackfire is never without an agenda or an angle.

Guest: I'm glad you were excited about last chapter, hopefully this chapter tops the last, thank you for your support, it is appreciated a lot!

fooler: I'm very glad that you like my portrayal of Blackfire. That (along with introducing new characters) is a very touchy subject when dealing with such a loyal fan base, so it was with great hesitation that I chose to add characters, villains and sort of change a personality or two. As long as people like it, I know I'm doing something right, so thank you!

deflow: I'm glad your anxious to read more! I'm continuing to try and pace my updates with my writing schedule, but reviews and support from you guys definitely make it easier to do more, more regularly. Thank you!

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

_**Chapter 23  
**_

The door clicked shut behind them as the last rays of golden light spilled into the room through the curtains of the window overlooking Gotham's sun-streaked skyline.

As Jack turned from the door, having locked it, he found himself face to face with Blackfire, who stood before him, still in the entryway of the room. She wore a devious smile as she inched closer to him. Her eyes narrowed as she cut the distance between them to only a few inches.

Jack found himself backing up, bumping into the door, now successfully driven back as far as he could go. Alien strength and power or not, she still knew how to be intimidating.

She moved with a sensuousness that reeked of a dangerous desire. Her hips swayed just so, electrifying him with every step she took. He had seen it coming, but it made no difference, her outstretched hand ran itself over his firm core, coming to rest on his chest, igniting a brilliant conflagration of nerve endings. She pushed him up against the door firmly as she stood on tiptoe to kiss him.

It was soft at first; a mere taste. She pecked around his mouth, never landing on it directly after their first contact. It was pleasingly infuriating, it was almost as if she decided all she needed was one, and then she was through.

She pulled back, looking up at him from under her brow enticingly. She rose once again, closing her eyes as she returned to kiss him once more, this time with more force. She pressed her mouth to his while she held his head in place with the hand that was not busy wandering his torso. She nibbled on his lower lip, sending him into a private, reserved frenzy.

She pressed her body to his own as she continued her kiss. The pressure between them was immense, he could feel her heartbeat on his chest, the only way she could possibly get closer is if she were to melt right into him.

Much to her delight, he returned her kiss and embraced her tightly all while guiding her towards the bed, where they would no longer have to stand.

She whined into his mouth in an effort to show her appreciation. She penetrated his mouth with her tongue, exploring him while she allowed him to enter her own. They remained in their sitting position at the end of the bed while Blackfire's hands wandered, finally finding his own. She placed his hands on her, allowing him to touch her and hold her at the waist.

She maneuvered herself from their adjacent seating arrangement, managing to sit herself in his lap. She could lightly feel him beneath her, startling her. She allowed for a gasp, allowing him to go for air as well. He breathed deeply, taking her scent in with his inhalation. She smelled absolutely intoxicating. She groaned with satisfaction as their lips met again, now having become well acquainted.

Jack slid one of his hands from her waist towards her backside, holding it in his palm just before her hands once again found his.

She steered his hands away, bringing them back towards her midsection. She rocked in his lap, rubbing herself against him, further maddening his desire. Her hands had not left his own, as her fingers were now laced between his, at least for the moment. She released his hands, again directing them, this time guiding them towards her breasts.

She groaned again, this time more loudly than she had before, as he gently squeezed her.

He took full advantage, massaging her as she breathed deeply, cupping her with every rise and fall of her chest.

He carefully rolled onto his back, allowing her to remain atop him, continuing their embrace.

She removed her mouth from his briefly as she took the zipper on the front of his jumpsuit between her teeth, pulling it back to just above his waist, exposing his upper body. She kissed his stomach, running her lips over the length of his torso before replacing them on his mouth.

She sat up, again releasing him, as she took his hands and ran them under her top, using his hands to push it up, revealing her beautiful upper body. He reveled in the beauty of the sight as well as in reserved surprise as he realized what it was they were doing.

His conscience feigned surprise, as if it hadn't known that this was his angle all along. Jack had managed to half trick himself into thinking he was doing something noble, when really, he was only up to his same old game. A devastating wave of remorse flowed over him, annihilating his hormonal euphoria. He couldn't do this to her. He was taking advantage of her emotion and he knew it; what was worse was that Jack got the feeling that this girl didn't often let her guard down, and when she did, all he would succeed in showing her is that you cannot trust.

He broke away, distress beginning to show on his face.

"Blackfire, do you think we should…" he stammered out before quickly being cut off by another voracious kiss as the alien girl wrapped herself around him.

She withdrew momentarily, placing a single finger over his lips before replying.

"Why not?" she purred sinisterly.

Well, at least now after all was said and done, he could say he tried. That should be good enough for his conscience.

With that, her hands found their way to his pants, slowly pulling them back. She allowed her own skirt to slide backwards off of her and down her legs, exposing her thin pair of panties.

Jack could plainly see where this was going, or where it was being pushed, fortunately, he was never without the needed precautions. As he began to slip his fingers between one of his golden manacles, he noticed that she had beaten him to the punch, removing a packet from the waistband of her undergarment. Clearly she had been prepared as well. Jack wasn't quite sure why it bothered him that this was premeditated, or at least seemed to be, but it did.

Despite his urgings, Jack would not be the one to make any moves, he wasn't going to facilitate this in any way. Regardless, something told him that was exactly how she wanted it.

Blackfire now tugged at his boxer briefs, pouting. Her pouts became purrs as she slowly slipped them from his waist.

Jack screwed his eyes shut, finding himself unable to enjoy the moment. He felt ridiculous. This wasn't his first rodeo but she made him feel like it was, sex was not work and generally speaking, work wasn't sex either. The blurring of the lines was enough to unsettle him slightly; he worried what the others would say when this got out.

Blackfire, now eager, sheathed him appropriately before rolling back on top of him. Her bare breasts against his chest released an eruption of excitement at the sensation of skin-to-skin contact.

She again found his hands, now guiding them low. One had crept along the curve of her back, finding its way to her backside as the other took another route, sliding along her stomach and down her front.

She had been forced to go so far as to fit his fingers between the very bottom of her underwear as she made him pull them down from their lowest point, slowly revealing her stunning backside.

An internal war raged within Jack now. Clearly she wanted this, so why did he have an issue with it still? Isn't this what _he _wanted? He supposed it was, but like his plan to rescue her to begin with, he couldn't believe that he was now actually in the position that had at one point been but a figment of his imagination. He could not allow himself to be openly complicit, not on the job. If he ever got another shot though… Well then he would have something to prove.

Blackfire was not at all surprised by his reaction, or lack thereof. She had actually expected it. He would feel guilty about it. Maybe that would make things easier later, she thought. She didn't mind his general lifelessness, the only thing she cared about right now had plenty of life. Besides, she preferred total control.

Now completely unclothed, she grasped him firmly as she positioned herself properly. She sank her hips into his, guiding him into herself with her hands. She sank to its base, allowing full penetration.

She groaned in sheer pleasure all along her slow descent, making the hair on Jack's neck stand on end. The deed was done, but she figured that she might as well have some fun with it now.

She swiveled her hips, gyrating rhythmically as she leaned over to kiss him once again. She had enjoyed it even more than she thought she might. Naturally, it was her first, and she only had a few guesses at what it might be like, not really truly knowing for herself. She could certainly see why people enjoyed the activity so much, it was definitely one of the more pleasurable experiences she could recall in all of her life, which to be fair, wasn't saying a whole lot.

For all she knew, this could be terrible by normal standards, but she wouldn't have the pleasure of ever experiencing anything else.

She reveled in every one of her excited hip movements, now bringing them up and down slowly. She consciously squeezed him shakily, barely able to maintain her composure in her ecstatic state. She left him an extraordinary kiss as she broke away, lifting herself from him.

For a second, Jack made the mistake of thinking she might be done when he caught the flash of a devious smirk beneath her black hair.

She turned herself around, still straddling him, giving him an entirely different view now as she made an effort to stretch herself for him. She now sat back down, sinking her hips into his once more, reversing her original positioning. The sensation was brand new, eliciting another series of pleased whimpers.

He felt himself slipping as she continued her dance. His judgment was now too clouded to keep himself from acting. Regardless of that, it was already happening despite withholding his full cooperation. Too late now, might as well enjoy it.

Something woke up inside of him, forcing him forward. In a surprise power play for control, he sat up and dumped her face first onto the bed while her lower half was still raised towards him in the air. He held her arms taught behind her back as he entered lightly. He teased her mercilessly, merely tickling her seconds before plunging fully. She allowed herself to moan fully in delighted surprise as she reached even wider across with her legs, hoping to allow more depth. As if by magic, he found his way further, bringing her to her wits end. Jack reached for her as he slowly massaged at his point of entry, immolating nerve after nerve.

She couldn't take it anymore, she collapsed on him, as she wailed in sheer pleasure. His convulsions grew more powerful as he heard her cry out, as he continued to ram her, ignoring her peak, furthering her enjoyment.

Total and supreme elation enveloped her, allowing no other thought or feeling to her mind. She was in an ultimate state of joy, certainly greater than anything she had ever felt before. The last few days with him had slowly introduced her to self-worth, which now culminated in the events unfolding now.

As her mind raced through the events she had shared with him during their getaway. For the first time she had been the one who people genuinely needed, not just a cripple but instead the pretty girl who was worth saving.

She allowed her internal ecstasy to continue to surge as she laid atop him, eyes closed. She felt a strange shift in her weight that seemed to well in the very center of her stomach. Her eyes snapped open to reveal that she, in her euphoria, had floated three feet in the air completely under her own power. Unintentional though it was, it still counted. All her life she had never been able to demonstrate the ability; perhaps she had always been too cold, never able to summon a happy enough thought, until now. The last two days were certainly full of first times.

* * *

Back at the batcave, Raven's extra-sensory emotional perception was on the fritz. She had kept her focus on the two of them for the past several hours while she meditated. Nightwing had requested that she keep tabs on them and let him know if anything significant happened. This was certainly interesting, but significant might not be the way to term it. It certainly wasn't what Dick had asked her to watch out for.

Nonetheless, she should probably discreetly let him know what had happened, this was probably something he would want to know about.

She exited her floating position as she left her room, searching for Nightwing. He was probably down in the batcave with Bruce, which would mean that she would need to get him to meet her half way. She couldn't easily explain in front of Bruce; she knew all too well what his opinion would be.

She thought to him silently as she descended the staircase which was just down the hall from the batcave entrance in the clock.

_I think I have something, but you're not going to want to discuss it with Bruce around._

With that, she leaned one shoulder up against the wall and waited. She could feel excitement mounting in her friend as he approached, bursting with hope of good news. She still wasn't sure whether to call it good or bad news.

Nightwing now emerged from the clock, face to face with Raven.

"So what's up? What can you see?" Dick demanded, he knew she couldn't locate them, but anything she could tell him would be valuable. From that information they might be able to guess at a location.

"Well… it's not quite bad news," she hazarded, unsure of her wording. Upon hearing this, Nightwing's brow contorted, expecting something a little more enlightening.

"So then it must be good news?" He finished questioningly, anxious for more information.

"It might be," Raven gulped, thinking through the scenario. She needed to form a hypothesis, preferably a positive one, in order to disarm the eminent cataclysm. "I assume that Jack was right, it seems all she needed was a friend."

"That seems a bit too good to be true. It would be nice, but it is Blackfire we're talking about after all," he concluded, still unsure of the significance. There was more to it than Raven yet revealed. So far, nothing worth the alarm had been mentioned.

"Well, they certainly hit it off," she smirked, accenting the inflection of her voice on the last three words of the sentence. "A bit more reaction than I think any of us expected, but I can't imagine that she would do such a thing unless she had changed for the better."

Dick had to pause, repeating Raven's words in his head a second time. She hadn't exactly come right out with it, but he was pretty sure he understood her meaning.

He considered the variables after contemplating what he knew to be given facts. Raven was probably unaware of the finer points of Tamaranean sexual restrictions and therefore had an imperfect scope of the situation.

"Interesting." He had to admit he was only half-surprised. He knew Jack would have been all for some sort of pleasure trip, and it wasn't in Blackfire's character to not feel similarly, he just couldn't believe that she would allow _that_. "Keep your eyes, or whatever you use, open. I'm not sure what would prompt that, I don't think all is as it appears."

"What would make you say that?" Raven quested. "It seems like a perfectly predictable Blackfire thing to do." She was starting to put her idea together, she might just be on to something. "You don't think that maybe she _has _changed do you? We go rescue the damsel in distress for seemingly no reason, she's stuck with an attractive man whose goal is to be the friend she never had and then she falls head over heels for him. Sounds like a desperate love story out of one of my books."

"That's the problem, this isn't a book," Dick smirked, beginning to think he knew exactly what this was. "It might be worth mentioning that Tamaraneans only get one shot. Females get one partner and that's it for life."

Raven gawked at that.

"Well I don't know what could possibly sound more storybook like than that, and perhaps slightly sexist too," she scoffed, appreciating the intrigue that likely went along with this particular aspect of Tamaranean physiology. Then she remembered! "Didn't Blackfire say there were ways to change that if they wanted to? The Citadel and Psion's did create their race after all."

Dick now had to think more about the situation. There might be something he wasn't seeing. He couldn't readily assume that Blackfire had spoken truthfully when she had mentioned the Psion's ability to tamper with existing physiology. At this point, he would have to assume that such a claim was false; it was just too convenient to Blackfire's failed attempt at persuasion. If she had been lying, what did she stand to gain by losing? Raven spoke up again, reforming her story around the newest bit of information.

"Maybe she just wanted to take what seemed to fall into her lap before she was taken by the Citadel," she mused.

The Citadel! That was it! A grim look fell upon his face, realizing the machinations at work. He hoped he was mistaken, but more than just hubris was telling him he wasn't.


End file.
